White World
by WinterAngel24
Summary: IMPORTANT NOTICE, PLEASE CLICK ON PROFILE TO SEE.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey there! I've been working on this for a while now, so we'll see how this goes. Thanks for picking this story! Please tell me what you think!**

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><p>Hunter x Hunter<p>

White World

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><p><em>A crash and a splash of red. <em>

_Two girls ran for their lives, trying to escape the people who attacked their family. The oldest being nine and the youngest five. The older one held her little sister's hand tightly as they wove between trees, trying to distance themselves as much as they could from the destruction behind them. The older one already knew that their parents didn't survive. There were too many enemies and they weren't near enough to call their clan for assistance. _

_They kept running, despite how tired they were. The younger one was crying non-stop, but also doing her best to make sure she was quiet. But the little one was at the brink of exhaustion and fell to the ground unconscious. The older one didn't miss a beat. She instantly picked her sister up onto her back and kept running. No matter what, she was determined to keep her little sister safe and live to see another day._

_Her determination sparked a light ahead and as they ran through they were transported to another dimension. The two girls stopped and looked around. They were no longer in a forest, but a yard of a large house. The older girl now past her limit collapsed and faded into unconsciousness with her little sister._

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><p>Mishiro was sitting in the corner of the garden reading her book peacefully. It had taken a total of five years, but now it was fine. Mishiro was now 14 years old and her sister was 10. After they had woken up, Mishiro had discovered that the owner of the house had found them and brought them inside. She had also treated the two girls' wounds and placed them in the same large bed so that they weren't separated.<p>

The lady who had found them was named Ashley. She had been such a worry wart when she had found two half dead little girls lying on her lawn behind her house one day. When Ashley found out from the youngest girl, Kimiko, that their parents were gone she tried to adopt the two girls. However she had a rather difficult time with Mishiro, who was distrusting of everyone who came near them. It took three years for Mishiro to trust Ashley, and another two years to allow the lady to adopt them.

Mishiro discovered that somehow she and her little sister had been transported to a world called Earth. In this world there is no magic or life energy that could do amazing things. It turns out that Earth was connected to all the other dimensions, though they didn't know it. People on Earth who wrote stories were actually seers. 'Authors' had the ability to see people in other dimensions and wrote about their adventures. But their field of vision was limited and they weren't able to see and write about everyone and everything in that world.

Because of this ability, Mishiro was able to read and watch about their home world. However even though she wasn't able to read about the fates of her parents, she was able to learn the overall fate of her people. Their clan had been extinguished and so far only one had survived in that world. That person was a friend of Mishiro, so she was glad that he had lived, but the path of revenge that he had chosen made her feel sad and a bit guilty. Mishiro and Kimiko were living a life of luxury and ease, when their friend was living in the darkness and dealing with the death of their clan all on his own.

Even so, Mishiro didn't want to find a way back into that world because it was so dangerous. She wanted her sister to keep living in this world where she could always be happy. Mishiro's guilt eased a bit when she read about her friend becoming friends with others.

"Shiro?" The voice of a young girl called out. "Shiro, where are you?"

Mishiro looked up from her book with deadpan eyes. What a stupid question, like she would be anywhere else. Kimiko was probably standing on the back steps looking straight at her.

"I'm not going to come over until you answer me!" Kimiko sang.

Yup. Definitely looking right at her. Mishiro went back to reading her manga.

Kimiko puffed up her cheeks and pouted. "No fair! I came all the way to tell you something, but you're so mean Shiro!"

Mishiro kept reading her manga.

"Shiro!" Kimiko whined and stomped back and forth on her feet. "Fine! Then I'm not telling you! I'm going to run and hide and never talk to you ever again!" Kimiko stuck her tongue out at her sister.

"Go ahead. That way I can keep reading in peace."

Kimiko ran up to Mishiro, pulled her book down, and gave her sister the most pitiful puppy eyes that she could muster.

Mishiro sighed and closed her book. "Sorry squirt, but that doesn't work on me." She smiled a little and ruffled her little sister's hair.

Kimiko puffed up her cheeks and pouted again. "Quit messing with my hair! I'm not a little kid anymore, you know."

Mishiro smiled a little sadly. "I know. You're growing up really fast, aren't you? Anyways, what did you come here to tell me?"

"Oh! Some man in a suit said he wanted to talk to you and me!"

"I see," Mishiro stood up and brushed the dirt and grass off herself, "well then we should get going, no?"

Kimiko smiled and started to run ahead.

"Oh that's right. Weren't you going to hide and never speak to me ever again?"

Kimiko froze as she remembered her earlier threat. Mishiro laughed and ruffled her sister's hair once more as she walked past.

Mishiro and Kimiko walked over to Ashley's parlor where the guest would undoubtedly be waiting for them. As they neared the room they could hear voices, and were able to distinguish Ashley talking to a new male.

"Ashley!" Kimiko called out as she threw the door open and ran over to the older woman's lap, "I found Momo!"

Ashley laughed softly. "Thank you very much. You did a very good job."

Mishiro walked over at a more leisurely pace with her hands in her pockets as she too walked over to her adopted mother. "So what's up? I was kinda in the middle of a really important part of the story."

The man who was visiting stood up and held out his hand. "I apologize for disturbing you." He smiled. "Hi there. My name is Kevin."

Kimiko giggled and waved at the man. "Hi there Uncle Kevin, my name is Kimiko, but a lot of people call me Kimi!"

Mishiro just stared at the man with a blank face.

Ashley laughed nervously. "Sorry about that. Momo is just really cautious around others. She's had a tough life, but once you get to know her she's a really kind and gentle girl."

Kevin dropped his hand, but kept smiling. "That's alright. I'm sure they have their reasons."

"So what do you want?" Mishiro asked bluntly. "Why did you want to talk to me and my sister?"

Kevin glanced over at Ashley for a second. "Well if it's alright with you, I'd like to speak to you and your sister alone."

Mishiro studied the man for a little bit. She could sense that he wasn't originally from this world either, but she couldn't distinguish what he wanted. This man named Kevin was hiding his intentions very well. Mishiro sat down on the couch across from him and closed her eyes. "Very well."

Ashley nodded and left the room, closing the door after her. Kimiko also sat down next to her sister.

"So what do you want?" Mishiro repeated.

"Well, you see…I'm here to talk to you two about the possibility of returning to your home world."

"No." Mishiro was blunt and had a bored straight face.

Kevin laughed nervously. "But don't you miss your family in your original world?"

"Look, I already know how this world has seers of the other dimensions out there. So I already know that our family is dead."

"But you have a friend who survived."

Mishiro held up the copy of the manga she was reading. "He has long since forgotten about us. There is no point to us returning."

Kevin sighed. "Since you know how seeing into other worlds work, then you also know that the authors can't see _everything_. So the author of that story can't know everything about every character she writes about."

"In any case, Kimi and I are both safe and happy here. I won't return to that dangerous world and put Kimi in even more danger."

"I think it would be fun to go back," Kimiko added in.

Mishiro stared at her little sister, dumbfounded. "Miko, you know how dangerous the other world is. Mom and dad died there, and we were almost finished off as well."

"But I'm sure that this time will be alright." Kimiko tilted her head innocently. Mishiro couldn't believe how naïve her sister was being.

Kevin nodded. "That's right. The committee and I noticed that despite not being in your original world you still managed to open your nodes and figured out how to control your aura. Even though you can't utilize nen in this world, you still managed to figure out how to train yourself."

Mishiro waved his words away. "I did that out of boredom and as a precautionary action."

"But what's the point if you can't use that in this world, unless you already figured that you were going back to your world one day?" Kevin argued.

"Like I said, boredom!" Mishiro said stubbornly.

Kevin sighed exasperated. "Don't you feel a sense of duty to your friend and clan?"

"Last thing I read about him was that he was fine. He has friends. He's incredibly strong. He'll be fine without us."

"But Shiro, I know you miss him a lot," Kimiko interjected. "And I know for a fact that you haven't made any friends here."

"But if we leave, you'll miss your friends too. Besides…" Mishiro hesitated, "that guy doesn't want anyone's help. He wants to do everything on his own."

Kevin sighed again and pulled out a small computer. "Mishiro Kurata, female, age 14, no current residence, daughter of Leo and Marie Kurata now deceased, also called Shiro by close family and friend, and Momo by other relatively close relations. Kimiko Kurata, female, age 10, younger sister of Mishiro Kurata, nicknames are Kimi by general public and relatively close relations, and Miko by sister and parents. Parents killed by the Phantom troupe on their way home from traveling. Both transported to dimension Earth by a rip in the dimension fabric."

Mishiro narrowed her eyes. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you know all of that since you know that we aren't originally from this world, but I don't understand your reasons for reading all of that off."

"Hold on I'm not done," Kevin waved off Mishiro and continued scanning his computer, "Mishiro's nen abilities are awakened. If returned back to her original world, full capability will be accessed. Category placement is specialization. Nen ability is called Mirror eyes. Aura color is white-"

"Hey," Mishiro felt something suspicious about this guy, "how can you know everything about my so called ability if I don't even know it myself. Even if I do go back to that world it would take me at least another month to develop my hatsu to the extent where it has a shape and use."

"Hold on, hold on, hold on! Wait till I'm completely done!" Kevin said again.

Mishiro really felt like throttling the guy now.

"Kimiko's nodes are not open. Therefore her nen ability is zero. Nodes can be fully opened in three years' time. The category that she will fall under is manipulation."

"Why am I not surprised," Mishiro muttered sarcastically.

"Kimiko also has a strong connection to the emitter type. Manipulation ability falls under the control of winged animals, mainly focused on birds. Emission ability is aura angel wings. Aura color is pink. Mishiro's current ability could easily attain a hunter's license and make a steady living for the two of you. Kimiko could try getting her own hunter's license at the age 13."

Mishiro sighed. "And? What's your point to all of that?"

"I'm saying that you two have more than enough ability to live in your original world safely enough."

"Not good enough. I don't care how strong of an ability we have or will attain. This world is definitely a great deal safer than our original world. I may not be able to use some super human like power that can deflect bullets here, but I'm less likely to run across that sort of situation than if I was in that other world."

Kevin nodded and put his computer away. "I don't expect to be able to fully convince you right now. But I must warn you, the committee does not accept any case of inter dimensional traveling. So if at any moment you even _consider_ the idea or feel _any_ doubt at all, you'll get pulled back into your original dimension with your sister."

Kimiko waved her hand above her head. "I want to go back to our world, so how come it isn't working?"

"That's because I left the overall decision to Mishiro, since she is technically your guardian in this matter." Kevin stood up. "Well, I have to go now. Oh! One more thing, if you do go back to your original world I have it set up so that you'll end up with a good teacher right away. This person promised me that he would teach Mishiro to the fullest of his capabilities, so there should be no worries there. Good-bye, I'll be in touch." Kevin waved slightly and walked away.

"Shiro, how come you don't want to go back?" Kimiko asked innocently.

"You heard me earlier. It's dangerous there, and I want to keep you safe." Mishiro stretched and stood up. She headed toward the back of the house so that she could continue reading.

Kimiko followed. "But don't you miss him?"

The older girl looked down at her sister and studied her as she continued walking. "I guess I miss him a little, but it's not enough to make me want to put you in any danger."

"But you heard Mister Kevin. He said I would be able to use nen just like you and take care of myself."

"Yeah, maybe in three years. But right now you're a sitting duck and it'll take me some time before I can even come _close_ to defending both of us. Even then, there's no guarantee that I'll be strong enough to take care of the two of us even after training my nen to the fullest of its capabilities."

"But I believe in you. Besides Mr. Kevin said that we would land right in front of our teacher if we go back. So it should be alright."

"I don't trust anyone _he_ recommends," Mishiro muttered to herself. "Anyways, Miko, won't you miss Molly and Sabrina? They can't go to that world with us you know." She sat underneath her favorite tree once again and pulled out her book.

"I know that, but it's ok. We aren't really all that close, so they wouldn't miss me if I left." Kimiko looked down at her feet. "And no matter how much I try, we can't become very close. I'm not like them, and they can't know everything about me. There's a wall that neither of us can cross."

Mishiro's eyes widened just a bit as she took in her sister's words. She looked up and tried to read the small girl who stood in front of her. She had never noticed how uneasy her little sister felt about this world. Kimiko always seemed to fit in so easily, compared to her. Mishiro sighed heavily and ran her hand through her hair. "Go back inside and help Ashley with dinner, Miko."

Kimiko glanced at her sister sadly before trudging back into the house.

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><p>Mishiro was sitting in her room alone that night (Kimiko was still feeling dejected and decided to sleep with Ashley), reading the latest chapter of her home world, but she couldn't find it very interesting since her friend wasn't in it.<p>

With a small sigh, she closed the manga and looked out her window. There weren't many stars out. She found out when they first arrived that the light pollution made it nearly impossible to see the same number of stars she saw when she was a child in her original world. She used to go up to a field near their village with her friend and they would lie down and gaze at all the stars for hours.

She wondered what her friend would say if her saw her now?

Mishiro started when she felt a sudden violent tug.

Oops. That counted as 'considering' didn't it?

And in a small burst of light, Mishiro and Kimiko disappeared from Earth.

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><p><strong>That's it for now! So how was it? Longer than one liner reviews are much appreciated!<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Special thank you to Nights1367 for reviewing! I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

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><p>Chapter 2<p>

Mishiro cursed repeatedly as she and her sister plummeted from the sky. She turned herself around until she was able to see her sister who was…sound asleep. Mishiro sweat dropped. She would question her sister's carefree nature, but right now she had more pressing matters. Like the rapidly approaching unmerciful, cold, hard ground.

Seeing no way to save either of them, Mishiro had only one thing left to do. "Daaamn you to heeell, Keviiiiiiin!"

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><p>A man was walking down a secluded pathway, on his way to visit a merchant he knew, when he heard a shout above his head. Without really meaning to, he held out his hands and a small girl fell into his arms. At the same time there was a loud splash next to him. The man looked over in time to see another girl burst from the water, taking large gulps of air and looking around wildly. The girl let out a sigh of relief when she saw the girl in the man's arms, she then swam over to the edge and hoisted herself up so that she could walk over to the man, and essentially the little girl in his arms.<p>

"Thank you for catching my sister," The girl panted out, not looking at the man just yet. "We didn't mean for that to happen, we just…" The girl had finally looked up and her sentence trailed off into nothing as her features slowly changed to dislike. "Ugh…I know you."

There was a slight breeze off to their side, strong enough to gather their attention, and Kevin appeared. "Sorry about the landing there, Mishiro. The transportation became a little funky just as you started considering returning here."

Mishiro sighed, but pushed past her initial irritation of falling from the sky in place of her current most annoyance for the day. "Please, _please_ tell me that this guy isn't who you were talking about yesterday."

"Well~" Kevin looked away while rubbing the back of his head. "I don't really believe in lying so…"

"Excuse me," the man finally spoke up, the younger girl still in his arms. "But would you care to explain, you idiot."

"Ah, well, how about we start with introductions. Mishiro Kurata, meet Ging Freecss. Ging, this is Mishiro and her little sister Kimiko." Kevin held out his hand to each person accordingly.

Mishiro slapped a hand over her eyes and groaned. "You've gotta be kidding me. Of all the losers to end up with, we get stuck with _this_ bum? We're screwed. So, _so_ screwed."

Ging frowned. "Mind your tongue, brat. I don't even know what you're talking about anyways."

"You agreed last month to watch over a couple of kids and train them for a while, remember?" Kevin explained. "I told you that I wasn't sure when they would arrive, but you said you would train them to the best of your abilities."

"Did I? Are you sure I wasn't sleep talking," The raven haired man countered.

"You were in the middle of walking to your next job," Kevin deadpanned.

"I could have been sleep walking then," Ging argued.

"While eating?" Kevin shot back disbelievingly.

Ging just shrugged. "Hey, I'm capable of doing a lot of things while I sleep."

Mishiro snorted at the last bit.

A vein popped on Ging's temple. He reached over and yanked on the platinum blonde's ear. "I don't want such a brat for a student. Get someone else to do it."

"Shut up old man!" Mishiro countered. "I don't want a lazy, turban wearing, old bastard for a teacher!"

The two glared at each other and Kevin could practically swear that he could see a couple of lightning bolts shooting from their eyes, meeting head on in the middle. It was almost like a battle of wills. He sweat dropped. This would definitely be an eventful companionship, if nothing else.

Suddenly, Ging stopped glaring entirely, straightened, and let go of Mishiro's ear. "Alright. I'll teach them."

Mishiro almost fell over from the shock. "Hah?"

"Oh really? Why the change of heart?" It wasn't that he was unhappy with the other man's decision, but Kevin could help but be a little skeptical.

Ging smirked. "She has a lot of spunk. Kinda reminds me of Kaito."

The red haired man perked up. "Isn't that great, Mi…shi…ro?"

The two men looked around as they noticed the lack of females within a ten foot radius of them. Both looked around quickly until they saw Mishiro carrying her sister on her back several yards down the road.

"Where do you think you're going?" Kevin called out.

"Miko and I seem to have landed in Idiotville and we need to find a route home," Mishiro called back without looking around. "Now where's that damn light. I have a test in my psychology class, and I don't feel like losing my four-point-O just yet. Not to mention the research paper due in my humanities class, or the project I have to work on in my medical assistant course."

The Dimensional Travel Guide sighed. "I thought I already told you that this was a one way trip, well one round trip technically," Kevin amended.

But Mishiro just ignored the man. "Here lighty, lighty, lighty~! Kimiko and I just want to play. Where are you, you magical rip between worlds?"

Ging snorted. "Are you sure this girl isn't insane? Honestly with the things she's spewing right now, even _I'm_ doubting her mental stability."

"Say that again and I'll rip you a new one!" Mishiro shouted back, a throb mark pulsing on her forehead dangerously.

"Mmm," Kimiko mewed a little in her sleep. The younger girl yawned and rubbed her eyes. "Shiro, where are we?"

"You just had to have your way, didn't you," Mishiro accused lightly, pausing to set her sister on the ground.

Kimiko hummed questioningly and looked around blearily. She blinked and smiled brightly when her vision cleared. "We're back! We're back Shiro! We're back."

Mishiro couldn't help but crack a small smile. Her sister was just too cute. The older girl turned around when she heard footsteps approaching them and deadpanned. She had forgotten about the other two for a moment.

Kimiko, however, was delighted to see then two of them and ran forward to hug the red headed man. "Hi Uncle! Hi Mister!"

Mishiro reached out and pulled her sister back over to her. "Miko, don't go around hugging diseased monkeys. You might end up as an idiot like them. I'm pretty sure that stupidity is contagious."

Ging's eye twitched. But before he could say anything, the younger girl spoke up again.

"Shiro, that isn't very nice," Kimiko scolded. "Anyways, Uncle is this man the teacher you were talking about for Momo?"

Kevin nodded. "That's right Kimi. This man's name is-"

"Ging Freecss!" Kimiko interrupted. "Don't worry, I already know! I also read about everything!"

"Wait, wait, wait," the raven haired male interjected. "Is your name Miko, Kimi, or Kimiko? And you. Is it Mishiro, Momo, or Shiro?"

The light blond rolled her eyes. "Miko and Kimi are just nicknames for Kimiko, just like Shiro and Momo are nicknames for me. Idiot," she muttered the last part quietly.

A vein popped on the raven haired man's temple. "I thought about that already you brat. I just wanted to make sure I was right."

"Sorry about my big sister. She's just a little upset because she didn't want to come back here. This place can be really dangerous sometimes and Mishiro just wants to keep us safe. Please forgive her." Kimiko laced her hands together in front of her and pulled out her infamous puppy eyes.

Mishiro looked away quickly before the blast could hit her, but the other men weren't as lucky. Kevin melted right away, but it took Ging a few moments longer, though he was visibly sweating from his attempt to restrain himself. But neither were a match in the end.

"It's…alright…" The raven haired man finally managed. He had his arms crossed and was gripping his biceps tightly in attempt to keep up his cool/laid back façade.

"Yay!" Kimiko jumped up and down a few times before hugging the man as thanks.

"I thought I almost died of guilt," Kevin panted, reduced to holding himself up on his hands and knees shakily.

"The key is to cover your eyes before she turns on her look full blast," Mishiro said, her hands still clamped firmly over her eyes. "Also, make sure not to look directly into her eyes while she's getting ready. You won't be able to look away in time otherwise."

Kimiko giggled, but didn't disagree. "Even with those tricks, I still manage to get Shiro now and then."

"R-Right." Ging sweat dropped a little, still trying to recover a little more.

Kimiko smiled and held out her hand. "I should formally introduce myself. My name is Kimiko, but you can call me Kimi if you like."

Ging nodded and shook her hand once. All three turned and looked expectantly at the older girl, who roll her eyes and sighed.

"My name is Mishiro, and you can call me Mishiro." The older girl stuffed her hands into her pockets and sighed again. This was a tiring day and she hadn't gotten a chance to sleep the night before, and she was definitely starting to feel the effects now. She realized how bad her lack of sleep affected her moments later.

"Then it's agreed!" Kevin clapped his hands together. "Mishiro will be Ging's full time student and Kimiko will be a student trainee for now!"

"Hah? When did anyone agree to that!" Mishiro said indignantly.

"Whenever we asked you anything, you said yeah and uh huh. So we thought you were agreeing to Uncle's terms," Kimiko said innocently.

Mishiro glared at the strawberry blond little girl in front of her. "You manipulated my sleep deprived state didn't you?"

Kimiko just smiled and tilted her head.

"Oh!" Kevin exclaimed suddenly. "I almost forgot to mention! The transport messed up a little more than what we had hoped so you're now a little more than two years back the original starting point."

Mishiro raised an eyebrow at the man. "Meaning?"

"Well, I guess the best way to put it is that instead of being five years after the attack on your clan," Kevin explained, "it has only been three."

Mishiro twitched a little, then slapped a hand to her face and sighed. "Think positively Shiro. Positively," she muttered quietly to herself before addressing the man before her again. "So instead of being three years younger than my friend, I'm only going to be one, correct?"

"And I should be about the age of Killua, right?" Kimiko added for clarification as well.

"Thaaat's~ right!" Kevin said cheerfully.

"Think positively! _Positively_!" Mishiro chanted to herself, crouched down with her hands running through her hair frantically a distance away. "Don't let your rage consume you! Remember your promise! Come on. Keep your head!"

"Well! Now that that's all taken care of, I need to be heading back now," Kevin informed the other two. "Ging, please take care of them and teach them what you can. Try not to let them leave you side until they're completely strong enough to take care of themselves. And don't try to weasel your way out of it either! It would be best if you started to teach Mishiro nen as well since she's already opened her tenketsu. I think she's been practicing a form of ten, but she hasn't been able to do anything else where she was previously."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Stop your preaching, you old geezer," Ging said lazily.

Kevin laughed a little and nodded. "By girls! Take care of yourselves!"

With that, the Dimensional Counselor was off.

Mishiro sighed for the umpteenth time and stood up. Her eye twitched when she noticed the raven haired man staring at her. "What?"

Ging smirked. "This is definitely going to be amusing."

For some reason, Mishiro felt that this did not bode well for her.

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><p><strong>Poor Mishiro. She's right, training is going to be tough. So what did you think? Please review and let me know!<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you Nights1637 for reviewing! I shall keep updating this story when I can with hopes that it shall gain popularity over time and I shall not be discouraged! Also thank you to the adds and favs! Even if you don't review, I'm glad to know that you have taken an interest at the very least!**

**Please enjoy!**

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><p>Chapter 3<p>

"You're kidding me," Mishiro deadpanned as she looked at the objects in her 'sensei's' hands, her arms crossed defiantly and her weight focused on her right leg.

"Just hurry up and get going," Ging grumbled, though he was smirking in amusement still.

"No way. I am _not_ going to wear that," Mishiro argued stubbornly.

"This is for training. If we don't start with this, then we might as well stop right here," Ging stated just as adamant.

"You're expecting _me_ to walk around for _miles_ in _**that**_?" Mishiro pointed at the objects still situated in the old man's hands and arms. "No way."

"So how exactly to you expect to grow stronger? Because you obviously think that you have a better idea how to gain power than I do."

"It's not- I just- But that thing- Uuuuuuuuughh! You aren't being very fair!" Mishiro exclaimed, throwing her hands up into the air in frustration. "The fact that you can even hold all of that, boggle's my mind. Can't we start with my nen training?"

"For someone like you, who's already gotten Ten down, you should start building up your physical strength since it might be one of your requirements. Now put on these weights and let's get on with it." Ging took one set of the leg weights and placed it into her arms.

"Oof!" Mishiro nearly fell over as the heavy objects fell into her arms. "You're kidding me," she grunted. "I can barely move with just this and you expect we to wear all of _that_? You must be joking."

"You're not only going to be wearing all of this, but every night you're going to spar with me. Then in about a month or two, we'll add nen training in as well." Ging crossed his arms as he watched the older of the two girls struggled to strap on every single one of her weights until just about every part of her body was covered with them. "Not to mention that you'll be carrying your own luggage, as well as a weapon when we find one that suits you. I'll also be adding at least a pound every week. If you progress enough, then I'll add more than that.

Once she finally strapped on the last bit, Mishiro promptly fell over. "This is ridiculous! I can barely move and this material is freaking hot!"

"Get up. I'm not going to wait for you any longer," Ging ordered the girl.

"Mister Ging, sir?" Kimiko tugged on the man's sleeve to get his attention. "Why does Momo have to wear all of that, but I just have to wear these on my wrists and ankles? Oh! And my backpack!"

"Since you're starting younger than your sister, you should start a little slower," Ging explained. "But don't worry, this is going to be good training for you too. Those weights may not feel like much now, but ounces turns into pounds when you have to carry them for long periods of time. By the end of the day, you'll be happy they only weighed that much."

"You're not helping~!" Mishiro sang angrily as she finally managed to push herself to her feet, but even then she was panting as if she had been running for miles on end. "Damn. I'm a long distance runner and I've never been this exhausted without running at least 10 miles."

"Come on, I want to make it to my destination by the end of the night. That's only about 14 miles from here, so let's get going."

Mishiro could have died right there.

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><p>Later that night when Mishiro was finally allowed to take off her weights, she felt as light as air, yet as floppy as jello. She had tried to stand up so that she could spar, but she ended up falling over instead. Ging was kind enough to let her eat dinner and gave her time to digest a bit before finally forcing her to her feet and taking a defensive stance.<p>

Now Mishiro wasn't the best fighter in the world, but she had taken every available self-defense and fighting class she could get into when she was on earth, so she shouldn't have been half bad. But she proved to be nothing at all when Ging knocked her down over and over and _over_ again. She desperately wanted to believe that it was the fatigue from carrying about twice her weight for 14 miles, not to mention the standing time as Ging did whatever he went to that town for, but the rational part of her mind pointed out that he had years of experience, he was ranked highly by all the notable hunters out there to the point where he was a zodiac member, and that he was just _that_ much better at everything than she was. It was one of the most difficult things for Mishiro to admit and it squashed her pride into oblivion.

But if anyone asked, it wasn't really the first day that was the toughest part of the training. It was the second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth day. She developed a lot of blisters and bruises during this time from the weights alone. Ging had started out only defending himself from her weak moves, but the third week he started striking back a few times. That was when her bruise count started racking up again. And, true to his word, the man started making the weights at least one pound heavier every week.

It wasn't until two weeks into the third month that it became too much for the girl. Ging had added two pounds more to the weights and now they were traveling through the mountains. Mishiro slipped on a loose rock tumbled down more than half the distance she had managed to climb, coming to a stop on her stomach. She had tried to move, but her body had stopped responding.

"Get up. We're nearly to the top, then it will be all downhill from there. We need to make camp at the base of the mountain before nightfall and you've already lost us at least an hour with all your dawdling." Ging stood above the girl with his arms crossed and his usual surly look in place.

Mishiro scrunched up her face as she mentally yelled at all her limbs to move, but not even a finger twitched. "I can't!"

"That wasn't a request," the raven haired man said firmly. "Stand up. You're not getting any help with this."

Again Mishiro tried with all her might to move, breaking out into tears when her body wouldn't respond. "I'm telling you, I have nothing left! Not even my finger will move, twitch, nothing!" She yelled at the man.

"That's not good enough. When you have nothing left, then you still have to keep going! What if your sister gets kidnapped and the attacker has broken every bone in your body? You keep going!" Ging yelled back.

Tears kept pouring down the girl's face as she kept pushing herself to move. "I'm trying you bastard!"

"If you have that much energy to yell, then that's more than enough energy to get yourself to your feet!" The man pointed out obstinately.

Mishiro couldn't answer. She was too busy fighting for air.

Ging clicked his tongue angrily. "Fine. Stay here. I expect you to catch up with us and we're not going to wait for you." The man started walking away with Kimiko following hesitantly.

"Should we really be leaving Momo behind?" Kimiko asked. "Does she know where we're going or how to get there?"

"No, she doesn't. So she either catches up or she learns how to track down the untraceable." Ging kept walking without looking back.

Kimiko glanced over her shoulder at her distressed sister until she was out of sight. This wasn't how she imagined coming back to this world.

Mishiro continued to cry bitterly as the duo faded out of hearing range, shouting out in frustration when she could no longer sense their presence. Her body wouldn't move no matter how much she wanted it to. It was so pathetic! And the fact that she couldn't meet whatever expectations he had of her pissed her off and made her hate herself more.

"Damn this to hell! I am _not_ going to lose to that guy!" The girl's tears came to a stop and using more than she had left to give, Mishiro slowly scraped her arm across the ground in front of her. Then the other, then moved one leg forward, then the other. She kept forcing herself to move, even though every cell in her body begged for rest, she kept moving. She crawled across the rough mountain path, tearing her skin and clothes, but not daring to stop. It was even an effort to climb down because one slip could send her plummeting off a waiting cliff. Even though the sun had long since set, she kept going, fighting to make it to that man's and her sister's camp. Even when the campfire came into view, she didn't stop, not until she was right in front of it.

"I…did it…you…asshole…" She muttered triumphantly and then she passed out.

Ging smirked. "Looks like we don't have to camp here for two extra nights after all." He removed the weights, bandaged her arms and legs, and threw a blanket over the girl after setting a cushion underneath her head. "I guess we can skip sparing for a couple of nights too."

That night and the night after, Mishiro slept like the dead. She didn't wake up for even a second, much to Ging's amusement and Kimiko's concern. But her eventful waking up, kicked any worry out of the younger girl's mind.

"You jerk! I'll beat you into next Sunday!" Mishiro shot out of her makeshift bed, moving as if to punch something, or _someone_, only to fall on her face from the force. She groaned and looked around blearily. "Where's Miko? And where am I?"

"So your sister's whereabouts matter to you more than your own safety? Have you ever thought that saying such things could get you into lot of trouble?" Ging said this lightly, but his eyes were completely serious.

Mishiro nodded to affirm that she got his message, then yawned and rubbed her eyes. "How long did I sleep?"

"About 21 hours." Ging poked the fire to adjust the embers and flames beneath the fish he was roasting.

"What, and you're still here?" The girl asked incredulously.

"Yeah! Uncle Ging said when we were setting up camp that we would wait for you for two days and then we would keep going!" Kimiko said excitedly as she walked over with an armful of fruit.

"It's because your sister kept asking if you would be alright," the man said gruffly with his eyes so closed so that he wouldn't have to meet their eyes.

Mishiro was torn between teasing the man and being touched that he would be so kind…Nah, there was no way she was going to let this chance slide. "Oh~? So Mister Rough and Tough actually has a heart of gold?" Mishiro smiled slyly. "So you were just being shy! How adorable!"

"Shut up!" The man flicked an ember at the girl.

But Mishiro continued to smile.

"Listen Mishiro, don't piss off your sensei, especially when you're getting so close to making your weights heavier." Ging passed the two girls a fish.

The older girl smiled. "Momo."

"What?" Ging paused mid bite to ask.

"Momo. You can call me Momo instead of Mishiro. It's a bit of a mouthful anyways." Mishiro took a bite of her fish.

Kimiko smiled brightly and giggled a little. "That means that Momo likes you Uncle!"

"Shut up Miko, I merely feel sorry that he has to say so much to make out my name," Mishiro grumbled.

This time it was Ging's turn to smile slyly. "_Now_ who's being shy."

Mishiro blushed a little. "Shut up!"

* * *

><p>The following week, Ging <em>finally<em> started teaching Mishiro Hatsu. He also added another training requirement for while she was sleeping.

"I'm starting to get the feeling that you hate me," Mishiro muttered. She gazed above her hear to stare at the small rock dangling above her head.

"You need to be aware for any and all attacks," Ging explained. "You never know when you need to be prepared and you can't allow yourself to let your guard down, even when you're asleep."

"Yeah, but my movements will be hindered by these weights," Mishiro shook her free arm in front of her to emphasize her point. "I mean, they're a hell of a lot lighter than the ones I wore all day today, but still…I'm uncoordinated enough as it is when I'm asleep. Then again, they don't feel that bad, I actually feel kind of normal, which is weird considering I've got this extra weight."

Ging smirk. "So you feel normal?"

Mishiro scrunched up her face and wiggled her arms and legs in thought. "Yeah, pretty much."

The man's smirked grew. "Those weights are a slimmer version of the ones you usually carry and they'll always be on you for now on. Right now they're the weight you were carrying by the end of your fifth week."

Mishiro gaped at the man, then at her arm, then at the man again. "No way."

Ging smiled smugly. "That's right."

"Dammit! I don't want to admit anything to you- ouch!" Mishiro had released the rope holding up the rock and it had fallen on her head.

The man's smile was absolutely evil now. He laughed haughtily. "See sensei knows best."

Mishiro grumbled incoherently as she rubbed her small wound, but the words 'old bastard' and 'conceited jerk' came out more than a few times.

Ging continued to smile, but without so much smugness. "Kevin said that you had already mastered Ten, but from what I observed through training was that you had also gotten pretty fare with Zetsu and Ren as well. The only things that I'll be helping you train from scratch with your nen abilities is Hatsu and then after you have the basics of that one, we can move to Shu, Gyo, In, En, Ryu, Ken, and Ko. But for now, we should all follow your sister's example and get some sleep."

Mishiro huffed and reset the rock as Ging doused the fire.

It would be safe to assume that there was a lot of bonks and cursing the rest of the night.

* * *

><p>"Wow. You look like absolute crap," Ging said in a light tone. "And I haven't even gotten a chance to throw a knife at you yet."<p>

Mishiro glared venomously at the man. A little over a week had passed since they started the rock over the head while sleeping training and Mishiro was absolutely dead.

"Sorry Momo. I shouldn't have mentioned about that other training we read about," Kimiko said guiltily.

"It's okay kiddo. I was going to have to go through something like this anyways." Mishiro rubbed the top of her sister's head affectionately.

"But at least you're doing better now!" Kimiko said cheerfully. "Ara? Where'd Momo go?"

"She's drowning herself in her oatmeal," Ging said calmly as he ate another bite of his breakfast.

True enough, Mishiro was face down in her barely touched meal, slowly drowning in the light brown mush.

"Shiro! Wake up!" Kimiko called out frantically, pulling her sister's head out of the goop.

"Ten…more…hours…" The older girl muttered, her eyes remaining closed and her consciousness oblivious to the world.

* * *

><p><strong>I hope this training experience is passing by amusing enough. We aren't quite at the story line yet, but we're getting there. There shall be plenty of interesting things and people to come, so I hope you can be patient!<strong>

**Thanks for reading and reviews are lovely!**


	4. Chapter 4

**So here's another chapter! I ended up completing this chapter and the next one super quick, but I won't be updating twice today, sorry to the ones who have been reading. I've been trying to up my reviews slowly.**

**Thanks to the adds and favs and a special big thanks to MCRDanime for reviewing! ****Here's the description I promised!**

Mishiro: Has platinum blond hair that's reaches mid back with side bangs. Her eyes are slightly narrow and a shade of light pink, like cherry blossoms! The weights she's supposed to wear around all the time looks like a black arm guard (acts like one too during battle) that reaches her elbow and half of her fingers (provides more protection for knuckles when punching) as well as the ones that cover her shins/calf. She wears black flats just like Kurapika's and she has a blue and gold scarf from the Kurata clan that she usually ties around her waist as a belt, but is now just hidden inside her bag. She wears all black, because that color hides blood the best. Most of the time she wears a long sleeve shirt and she alternates between shorts and form fitting pants. Mishiro weapon of choice is a couple of sai's, but with longer outside prongs so it looks closer to a trident. She also has a light brown cloak that was a gift from Ging, that connects over her right shoulder (so her left side is really the side that is truly covered) with an intricate silver brooch, and yes there is a hood.

Kimiko: She has strawberry blond hair and big navy blue eyes. Her hair is a short bob, but she has a couple of high pig tails holding the upper half of her hair. She has side bangs just like her sister. She likes wearing bright colors and is commonly wearing knee length dresses, short skirts, or shorts and never really long pants. She likes to wear black knee high boots and fingerless gloves that reaches half her forearm. Her weapon of choice is a couple of chakrams (no spikes protruding, they both have a smooth circular blade) Both chakrams have a handle through the middle (so they look like a yin and yang sign) and both have the ability to split into two parts. Ging also gave the same cloak as Mishiro to her little sister, but with a gold brooch.

**I hope you enjoy this chapter! **

* * *

><p>Chapter 4<p>

A dark cloud promising death and destruction loomed over Mishiro's head. And with a shadow resting over her eyes and the angered mumbling floating from her lips, she completed to image of absolute, no apologies anger. Her eyes might have even turned red, though it was difficult to tell through the darkness over her eyes.

"I said I was sorry," Ging said for the umpteenth time. He sighed when all he received was another glare. "You should be grateful that I didn't injure you anywhere fatal."

Another death glare.

"Come on, you should be able to heal up in a couple of months." The raven haired man glanced behind him again, but he only received yet another evil eye.

"Shiro, you should forgive him already. You know that training can result in these sorts of injuries every now and again," Kimiko scolded lightly.

The duo could almost swear that they heard thunder coming from the dark clouds above their companion's head. They wondered if they would get struck by lightning if they went too close.

"It's just a broken ankle, Momo. At least I didn't break your knee, or spine, or something," Ging grumbled. "And look, you got a meal made by that Menchi girl thanks to that broken ankle."

"Yeah! And while Uncle was taking care of his business, you and I got to talk to Satotsu in the town before that one!" Kimiko cheered. "We also got to talk with Biscuit Krueger! She even said that you were making really good process with your nen and it was a shame that she wasn't able to get to you first!"

She scowled when her positive attitude still had no effect. Mishiro had been this way, except when she was meeting new people, since Ging had broken her ankle during combat training over three weeks ago. Finally Kimiko had, had enough. So she put her hands together (as if in prayer) in front of her and pulled out her most powerful set of puppy eyes (the same ones she used on Ging and Kevin when she first met them). It took a matter of seconds for her older sister's resolve to crumble into dust.

Mishiro sighed heavily and relaxed her stiff crossed arm and leg position. "Alright, alright. I give. So where we headed now?"

"I have some zodiac business to attend to, but I don't plan on sticking around or listening to anything they have to say. I'm just showing up to get old man Netero off my back." Ging turned around and smirked. "Since I need to make sure you keep on training and concentrating on controlling your hatsu, plus I need something to entertain me, I'll be taking you along with me."

"Request Denied." Mishiro held up her arms in the form of an X in front of her, the sound of a buzzer going off twice behind her.

"I wasn't asking." Ging crossed his legs and turned to survey the seen outside the bus.

"I don't want to go and you can't make me," Mishiro said obstinately.

"Says the girl with a broken foot who can't get two feet without assistance," Ging practically sneered at the girl.

"I will hop on one foot all the way to the hotel if I have to," the older girl continued to argue.

The raven haired man rolled his eyes. "You can't even outrun a toddler, what make you think you can outrun me?"

"I want to meet them," Kimiko said innocently with a tilt of her head. "Why don't you, Shiro?"

"Meeting these people can draw unwanted attention and I don't want to have to fight more than I'm required to," Mishiro explained.

"But mama and Ashley always said that if you can become acquaintances and friends with powerful people, then you should try to since they might be able to help you later on," Kimiko reasoned.

"That's a good point, so let's go." Ging threw the older girl over his shoulder and dumped her in a wheelchair once they were off the bus before she could argue. He also made a point of tying down her waist to keep her from climbing out and trying to carry out her earlier threat of hopping away.

"Nooooo! I'm telling you I don't want to!" Mishiro grunted as she tried to prevent the man from moving her chair. But it was to no avail and the trio made their way through town till they reached one of the grand buildings. By this point, Ging had resorted to pulling the chair behind him with the occupant facing backwards so that the girl couldn't use her available foot as a brake. Mishiro was left with crossing her arms and ignoring the world through closed eyes, though she sat erect and proper.

"Is there a reason you're now dragging around injured girls to a zodiac meeting?" A woman that bore the distinct similarity to a dog asked when the trio entered the room.

"The one in the chair is my student," Ging jabbed a thumb at the older girl, "and I can't have her running off, free to plant something in my bed."

"If only that stupid snake had been able to bite him," Mishiro grumbled darkly.

Kimiko stepped forward and introduced herself, striking up a conversation with the group while Ging pulled Mishiro out of her wheelchair and onto a mat so that she could stretch out her leg. "Uncle, I'm going to go look around outside. Is that okay?"

"Knock yourself out," the man said while he took his seat around the table.

"Don't go too far! And scream if you get into any trouble!" Mishiro called after her sister.

"Hey! Momo!" The raven haired man called out suddenly.

"What?" The girl asked grumpily as she looked around. "Aaaah! My eyes!"

The girl placed a hand over her eyes and rolled across the floor as her hatsu fluctuated violently from the man's sudden burst of nen.

Ging snickered. "You didn't have proper control of your nen."

"You asshole! You did that on purpose!" Mishiro yelled, rubbing her tearing eyes. When she looked up they were silver and reflecting the room and its occupants.

"See there, you're eyes switched over again," Ging said, pointing to the girl.

Mishiro clicked her tongue angrily. "Well if you're going to throw your stupid nen around like that, then at least give me a heads up."

"Focus more on the flow around your eyes. Think of a lake or pond and disperse all the ripples till they're smooth and easy to control," the man instructed.

"Yeah, yeah. You've preached this sermon more than once you senile old geezer," Mishiro muttered. But she did as she was told till her eyes returned to their normal light pink eyes.

"What a curious ability to you have there. What exactly is your hatsu capable of?" A man in a suit asked.

"Ah, your name's Pariston, right? And you're position is the rat." Mishiro stared at the man before allowing her gaze to drift over the others as well. "And, if I remember correctly, you're the zodiac Cheadle as the dog. Then I can't remember your names, but I can guess your positions. Snake, sheep, dragon, monkey, rooster, horse, ox, rabbit, tiger," Mishiro listed them off as she looked at each person with their respective title. "And then there's the pig."

A vein popped on Ging's temple. "I'm the boar, you brat."

"Oh, I wasn't referring to your title as a zodiac," Mishiro said with a blank face.

"Why you little-!" Ging looped his arm around the girl's neck and twisted his fist into her head.

All of the other zodiacs chuckled. A few of them even muttered something along the lines of , "I approve of this girl" or some other form that they liked her.

There was a chuckle and everyone turned around to see an old man standing in the doorway. "This room certainly is lively today. And it appears we have a guest. And who might you be young lady?"

"No one important. In fact, you should all pretend that I was never here." Mishiro would have continued but her teacher covered her mouth.

"This brat is my current student. Her name is Mishiro, I'm pretty sure you already met her sister Kimiko on the way here," Ging said, eyeing the old man with a knowing look.

Netero chuckled. "Why indeed I did. She's a delightful little one."

"Delightfully manipulative," Mishiro muttered under her breath.

Ging loosened his hold on the girl a little bit. "Oi, Momo."

Mishiro looked over at the man again, only to be blasted by a surge of nen again. "Arg! You bastard! That hurts dammit!"

The man smiled smugly. "Then you better learn how to control you nen."

"I wish you a violently painful death," Mishiro mumbled as she rubbed her eyes fiercely.

"Ho ho ho." Netero smiled at the two's interaction. "That's quite the ability you have there girl. Are you planning to take the hunter test soon?"

"No way." Mishiro made an X with her arms for the second time that day.

Netero raised his bushy white eyebrows in modest surprise. "Oh? Why not? I'm sure with everything young Ging has taught you, that you should make a fine hunter."

"Hunter equals danger, and that's the last thing my sister or I need." Mishiro lowered herself back onto her mat and rubbed her injured leg a little.

"While it's true that becoming a hunter can lead you into danger, it can also offer you protection as well," Netero said, trying to persuade the girl. "Most danger usually befalls a hunter that chooses the more dangerous occupations like blacklist hunting."

"Why does everyone question my decision? I mean seriously! Can't someone use nen and be able to fight decently without having that title? Sheesh!" Mishiro grumbled lightly (Menchi, Biscuit, and Satotsu had also asked her the same questions). She shook her head with a heavy sigh. "I might think of it later on, but right now, all I want to do is protect my sister."

Netero nodded his head in understanding. "Very well, I will respect your decision, but I won't be dropping this subject completely."

Mishiro grimaced at the old man, causing him to chuckle again.

"Well, let's get this meeting on its way. I'm sure Ging and his young companions were planning to ditch in the next two minutes anyways."

* * *

><p>"Hey, Chairman," Ging called after Netero as the old man was leaving. "Can you look after these two for a little bit? I need to go look for something."<p>

The old man nodded. "I'm sure it should be fine. I'm actually quite interested in getting to know these two a little more."

"Kevin will burn your sorry ass again if you try to ditch us a second time~!" Mishiro sang after then raven haired man.

A vein popped on his temple. "I told you already, I didn't forget! I just got caught up looking for something and forgot about your entire existence!"

"That's even worse you idiot!" Mishiro shouted.

Ging whacked the back of the girl's head. "Be quiet you brat! You've never been caught up in anything before so you're not allowed to judge others!"

Mishiro stuck out her tongue, but didn't argue as the man turned to leave.

"You know, you wouldn't get hit so often if you didn't argue with Uncle all the time," Kimiko pointed out.

"Eh?" Mishiro shrugged. "He just riles me up and I'm sure it's the same the other way around too."

Netero let out another Santa laugh (as Mishiro had now dubbed it). "You two seem to have quite the relationship with young Ging."

Kimiko giggled and nodded. "I'm very glad that he's our sensei!"

"Eh. I get by," Mishiro said with a shrug.

Netero smiled. "So how long have you been training with him?"

Mishiro hummed as she counted the months. "It's been about half a year now."

"Oho! And when did you start training your nen?" The old man asked.

"Well, I had already kind of trained myself before I met Ging, but before he taught me the next step he had me focus on building up my physical strength and awareness," Mishiro told the man. "Then two months ago, we started working on my hatsu. But I've been having a tough time controlling it so I've been stuck on it for a while."

"I started training to open my tenketsu when Shiro started to work on her hatsu, so I don't have as much to worry about," Kimiko informed the man. "Uncle says that right now I just have to focus on my physical training and be patient, then I'll be able to work myself up until I can be at Shiro's level."

Netero hummed a little bit in thought. "You both have progressed well. But, perhaps what you need is to gain experience through working the field, if you know what I mean."

"What did you have in mind, sir?" Mishiro was genuinely curious.

"Well, why don't you do a few tasks for me," the old man offered. "They aren't very difficult, just delivering messages and whatnot. But they'll require you to work with nen every now and then. Your sister should be more than safe with Ging, and it would be better training to go alone."

Mishiro hesitated. "…I don't know…"

Netero chuckled. "Give it some thought, and we can discuss it with your teacher later."

Mishiro continued to look unsure, but allowed the thought to twirl through her mind for later consideration. She and her sister then moved on to telling the old man about their lives since they met the raven haired man. Netero was amused to hear about the different hunters they came in contact with and the reactions both they and the girls had about their conversation topics. In return, Netero told them some stories about his days, many of which sent the two girls into fits of laughter. They didn't realize how long they had been talking until Ging came back.

"Yo!" Mishiro raised a hand in a motionless wave, a smile still plastered on her face. "So did you find what you were looking for?"

The smile smiled smugly and held up a roll of what looked like ordinary bandages. "I did. There was a rumor that there was a healer that made special wrappings infused with her nen."

"Hm! So that's the real reason you came to that meeting." Netero chortled at the younger man's actions.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Ging waved the old man away and started redoing Mishiro's bandages with the ones he brought back.

The effect was immediate. Mishiro sighed and smiled warmly at the older man. "Thank you very much, sensei."

The man smirked and split the rest of the bandages between the two girls (Mishiro received more since she was more liable to get hurt). "See, being a hunter has its benefits."

Mishiro frown slightly as Netero's offer swan through her mind again. She looked up with a determined glint in her eyes. "Uncle, I want to become as strong as possible so that I can protect everyone precious to me. And I think that Mr. Netero has a way to help me progress with my training."

Ging nodded. He didn't bother questioning the girl's sudden resolve. "Then you should give it a go."

* * *

><p><strong>We're getting closer to meeting the others soon! Just one more chapter where you get to see an unsual development in Mishiro's relationship with an unexpected group of people and then we'll be heading into the main story line.<strong>

**Thanks for reading! Reviews are lovely!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Alright! This will be the last chapter of training and whatnot. So yay! However, I've decided to hold off the next chapter until I have at least three reviews for this one.**

**I do want to thank my friend WinterLily24 for reviewing as well as the adds and favs!**

**I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

><p>Chapter 5<p>

Mishiro sighed as she trudged up the path leading to Kukuru Mountain.

"Remind me to never trust conniving old men ever again," she huffed.

* * *

><p>~Four days ago~<p>

"I have some information that I think an old acquaintance of mine would find interesting, so I'd like you to deliver this message to him." Netero handed a sealed envelope to the light blond girl.

Mishiro reached over to take the letter with a nod. "And who am I going to be delivering this to?"

"Zeno Zoldyck."

Mishiro retracted her hand like she had just touched fire. "Netero, are you trying to have me killed?"

"Ho, ho? So you know about them!" It wasn't a question. If anything, the old man seemed pleased. "You don't have to worry my dear. I have called ahead to let them know of your arrival. Their only requirement is that you must enter through the 'Door of Verification' on your own."

"Me? Open the 'Door to Hades'…Without help…I give up." Mishiro started to back away.

But Netero just chuckled his little Santa laugh. "You'll be fine my dear. You should be more than capable of opening that door considering the training young Ging put you through."

Mishiro made a face at that. "I don't know…"

"Don't worry! This will be excellent training!" Netero placed the envelope in the girl's hand and walked off with a small wave and an arm behind his back.

Mishiro was left gaping helplessly at the man with an outstretched arm, like she was trying to stop him.

* * *

><p>Mishiro sighed again, went over to the nearest tree, and started bashing her head against its side.<p>

"Why does this stuff always happen to me?" She demanded to no one in particular before calming down enough to continue on her way.

The girl had decided to head up to the gate in between the tours so that she wouldn't draw any unwanted attention. But that also meant she didn't get a ride the entire way. She couldn't decide if she was happy or terrified out of her wits when she was finally standing in front of the enormous doors, leading to another sigh on her part.

"Really. How do I get myself into these things?" She asked herself.

"Young lady, if you're planning to go over to the other side, then I advise you to stop right now."

"Yeah, me too," Mishiro muttered before looking around to see a security guard standing outside of a small booth. "Hi, my name's Mishiro. I was asked by Netero to deliver a message to Mister Zeno."

Recognition flashed across the man's eyes and he smiled kindly. "Ah! I see. My name is Zebulo. My masters told me to expect you."

Mishiro returned the smile and nodded. "I suppose I should get going then. It was nice to meet you sir."

Zebulo nodded, but stayed where he was so that he could get a clear view of how strong this new girl was. The girl walked tentatively up to the door and placed her hands near the parting. She took a deep breath and pushed. To both of their complete surprise she had opened the second door without even putting all her effort into it quite yet. The girl entered still looking surprised and the door closed behind her. Zebulo continued to stand there for a while before smiling a little and turning to head back into his booth. Suddenly there was a 'whoop!' coming from the girl as she cheered for herself. Zebulo chuckled a little. What a strange girl indeed.

Meanwhile Mishiro's smile had faded and she realized where she was again. "Arg! This is _so_ dangerous! And I was trying to so hard to avoid danger! Bad! Bad! Bad! Bad! Bad!" She yelled quietly to herself as she shook her head with her hands clutching fistfuls of hair.

She looked up when she heard breathing and turned to see the giant guard dog. "Eep!"

Mishiro took a deep breath to calm herself down before heading down the path. Ging had told her that once she passed those doors, then she should hide her fear no matter what. The Zoldycks wouldn't attack her without a reason, but if she wanted to remain in their good books, or at least off their potential target list, she should only portray a calm aura.

Eventually the path led her to a wide wire gate with a large tree just behind it. Near the gate stood a female servant holding a cane and in the tree sat a white haired boy who looked to be around the age of 10. Both of them looked over curiously. The boy smiled a little and waved, causing a small smile to take hold of Mishiro as she waved back.

"You must be Miss Mishiro, correct?" A man with a slight beard and a stern demeanor suddenly appeared.

Mishiro suppressed a jump of surprise and nodded. "You would be correct. I take it you were sent here to lead me the rest of the way."

The man nodded as well. "My name is Gotoh. I shall escort you to your destination."

* * *

><p>There was only one word that filled Mishiro's mind when she had entered the Zoldyck Castle: Creepy.<p>

It was taking everything the girl had to keep herself from shivering, twitching, or revealing any goosebumps. She made a point of memorizing the path she was led down out of paranoia and curiosity. The building was dark, allowing the members to hide within the shadows and move around easier. Everything about the place was warning Mishiro to be wary and to watch her surroundings carefully.

Mishiro was led to a parlor and told that Zeno would be with her shortly. True to Gotoh's word, Zeno appeared in a timely, yet leisurely, fashion. However he wasn't alone. Silva came in as well.

"You must be Mishiro. Netero has told me a little about you." Zeno greeted with a nod.

"It's a pleasure to meet you sirs." Mishiro bowed a little. Despite her calm demeanor, little Shiro in the back of her head was screaming, '_Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek! Scaaaaaarryy~!_' It was a miracle that there was no trace of her fear.

She handed over the letter to the older man and waited patiently as he read the contents. When Zeno finished reading the letter he didn't speak right away, choosing to study the seemingly relaxed girl in front of him. In a flash of movement, that was so fast it appeared as if he hadn't moved at all, the old man threw a knife at the girl.

Mishiro, sensing that it was a test, caught the knife between her index and middle finger, which were carefully covered with a thin, but condensed, layer nen to protect herself from the rough sides and poison. Zeno and Silva smirked in approval, causing little Shiro to let out a big sigh of relief and keel over in a dead faint.

"Tell me, what do you think of our humble abode?" The older man asked, a cunning smile tracing his features.

Mishiro smiled a little. "It was very different from the stories and rumors that have been floating around, as I had predicted. But it seems very interesting here. I can tell that there's a lot of history behind your home."

"Oho? Does the history of the world intrigue you?" The old man inquired.

The girl smiled a little. "If only to see how the human mind works and what led them to make their decisions. Psychology is a little bit of a hobby of mine."

The old man chuckled. "Then pray tell what you think of my mind."

"I wouldn't dare attempt such a feat sir. You have lived and experienced much more than I am capable of understanding as of yet. Plus, it would just be plain rude," Mishiro finished off lamely.

But the old man chuckled at her answer. "Wise choice."

"I believe my father set the requirement that you could only deliver your message if you could open the door on your own. How many were you able to push through?" Silva asked.

"I just opened the second one," Mishiro smiled bashfully.

"That's quite a feat. Zebulo reported that you didn't put a lot of effort into it and it appears that you are wearing weights." Silva was inspecting the girl carefully. "I wonder how many doors you could open if you took off your restraints and pushed with all your might."

"Aha… I wouldn't know sir." Mishiro laughed nervously.

"When did you begin your physical training?" Zeno questioned the girl.

"Ummm, six months ago." Mishiro wasn't sure why they were asking her these questions. He eyes flickered toward the other door where she could sense the presence of at least three others.

Zeno smirked when he noticed the girl's eye movements. She had quite the sensory. "What about your nen?"

Mishiro made a face as she tried to think. "Um…well I opened my tenketsu on my own maybe a year ago. But I wasn't able to continue training my nen until about two months ago."

Zeno stroked his chin. "Interesting…" He smirked again, but handed over a note that Mishiro hadn't noticed him writing out. "This is my reply to that old coot. Please take care of it."

Mishiro took the letter with a nod. "I'll make sure it gets to him."

Zeno chuckled. "Would you like to stay for dinner? I'm sure my grandsons would enjoy your company."

'_Eeeeeeeeeeeeeek!_' Little Shiro, who had only just stared waking up, fell back down in an even deeper faint. "Ano…I don't think I should impose on your hospitality any more than this. Perhaps you could just introduce them for now, especially since they've been watching this whole time."

Zeno's smirk stretched a little wider. "That should work for now."

Silva motioned toward the door and a woman entered, followed by two boys. Or, at least Mishiro thought both were boys, though the one in the kimono was a little iffy. "This is my wife Kikyo and two of my sons, Milluki and Kalluto."

"It's nice to meet you ma'am." Mishiro bowed politely. "That dress is beautiful. It's very becoming of you."

The woman smiled a little. "One of our sons, Killua, is out playing in the gardens, so you'll have to excuse him. But I've called Illumi. He should be here any moment."

"You don't have to call them! I don't want to take up any more of your time than I already have to!" Mishiro argued gently. '_And _really_ I want to leave right now!_'

"It's quite alright!" The woman disputed. "Tell me, how old are you?"

"Um…I'll be turning 15 in a few weeks, ma'am." A sense of foreboding started creeping up on Mishiro as she answered the questioned. She didn't know why they were asking here these questions, but it made her fear the worst. What that was though, she wasn't sure.

Milluki leered at the girl. "What do you think of technology?"

"Um…I guess it's interesting, I mean it's what's supporting everyone now right, so…" Mishiro trailed off awkwardly.

"Milluki be quiet! You're bothering our guest," Kikyo scolded. She turned back to the girl, the red dot on her visor focusing on the other once more. "So what do you plan for your future?"

Alarms went off in Mishiro's head, but she kept her polite smile in front. "Right now I'm just doing my best to train and become as strong as possible."

"Have you ever killed anyone?" Curiously enough, it was Kalluto who asked.

Mishiro smiled. "Well, I've never really had the need to and I'm not going to unless absolutely necessary, but I suppose that if someone decides to push my hand about the matter…well, I don't think it would haunt me for too long."

"Well, I'm sure you're more than aware of what our family profession is. What is your opinion on that?" Zeno asked.

The alarms and horns were screaming at Mishiro to run away and get as far away from these people as possible, but she maintained her calm façade. "Well, while I don't really care for killing, I know that you try not to hurt the innocent and most of your targets are actually bad people. So overall it doesn't really bother me that much." '_What bothers me is how you raised your children._'

"What makes you think we don't randomly attack the innocent?" Zeno asked. "Especially if they get in our way?"

Mishiro smiled softly. "I know of an event in the future where you take on a job and something unexpected happens. You showed remorse after it was finished because an innocent girl had been caught up in your attack."

Zeno only looked slightly bothered for a second before a more intrigued look took over. "So you are capable of reading the future?"

"Uh…not really." Mishiro rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment. "I _know of_ events that will take place, but I can't _predict_ things to come." She spun around and caught the seven needles aimed at her by Illumi, who had just entered the room.

"Can you tell us of an event you know?" Illumi asked in a monotone, wanting the girl to prove her abilities to see her worth. There was no remorse for his sudden uncalled attack.

"Well, my knowledge only really starts in a little over a year," Mishiro told them truthfully, placing the needles down onto the coffee table next to the knife. "Also, I'm not supposed to speak of anything that doesn't concern the person whom the event takes place around." That part was a lie, but she couldn't have them attempting to use her information. "But I can tell you what I know of from the past."

Assuming that this was information the girl saw when she was a child, Silva nodded, indicating for the girl to continue.

"I know you have another child named Alluka. He has a very dangerous and very powerful ability." Mishiro noted how every member other than Milluki was able to hide their surprise well. "As for a future event, I can tell you that in less than two years' time, Illumi will be required to gain an object of value for a job he'll take on and something will happen that will give you great pride but also a great amount of strife to your family."

Zeno smirked again and nodded. "We'll be sure to keep that in mind."

Mishiro bowed once more. "I'm afraid I must leave now. Thank you for allowing me to meet your family and for allowing me to take up your time for so long."

Silva and his father nodded. "I'll have Illumi escort you out then."

Mishiro held up a hand politely to stop the man. "It's quite alright. I can find my way. I don't want to make you late to your next job."

Silva smirked. "Safe journey then."

"Good day everyone." Mishiro smiled and left the castle. Though she wanted to collapse and let out a shaky sigh of relief, she knew better than to show weakness while she was still in their territory. She walked quickly and with purpose down the path, not planning to stop moving till she was on an airship back to her sister.

However she paused when she reached the tree again. She hesitated, but decided to walk over to the boy who was still sitting amongst the leaves. "Your name's Killua, correct?"

The boy's eyebrows shot up slightly, but he nodded. "Who are you? I'm surprised you came out of there alive."

Mishiro laughed a little. "I guess I'm interesting enough for them to leave me as I am for now. My name is Mishiro."

"What did you come here for?" Killua asked, leaning over a little so that he had a better view.

"Originally?" Mishiro joked. "Well, I came here to deliver a message from your grandfather's old acquaintance, but somehow I got drawn into quite a lengthy conversation, most of it concerning myself."

Killua's lips quirked up in a small smile, though he dropped it when Mishiro laughed lightly. "What are you laughing at?"

Mishiro shook her head. "Nothing really. It's just, you remind me of my sister a little. I'm sure she would have liked meeting you. You seem like a really nice boy." Mishiro smiled warmly at the boy's surprised face. "Well, I would love to talk more, but I really should get going now. Oh! And Killua? Don't be afraid to try something new. You may be able to find a great strength that you didn't know you needed, if and when you do."

With those mysterious parting words, Mishiro went on her way again.

* * *

><p>The moment Mishiro located her sister and sensei, she ran straight over to their hotel room and dove under Ging's bed.<p>

"Um….Hi?" The man said uncertainly, as the bed quivered.

"Henceforth I make the vow that I am _not __**ever**_ going back to that place if I can help it!" A muffled shout came from underneath the bed.

"That's too bad. And here, I wanted you to deliver another message for me." Netero had walked into the room with a smile in place.

"Eeeeeeeek!" The older girl shrieked as she shot out from under the bed and clung to her sensei's back.

Ging looked over his shoulder with mild curiosity. At least he tried to. It was a little difficult to see the girl under all the blankets she had covered herself with, making her look like some oddly shaped bag. "What exactly happened to turn you into _this_ mess?"

"I think they were trying to hook me up with one of their sons," Mishiro hissed.

"What makes you think that?" Ging asked.

"They kept asking questions about me and what I thought of them, my plans for the future, etcetera!" The girl shuddered violently. "Then they tried to have Illumi escort me to the gate, so I had to deny their offer without seeming rude, which is _really, really_ difficult!"

"I'm glad to see that they took a liking to you," Netero chortled.

"_I'm_ not!" Mishiro's words came out more like a strangle cry.

"You should be proud," Netero told the girl. "Not too many can earn even a single Zoldyck's interest."

"I think I should be counting the remaining days of my life," Mishiro called back, a depressed and gloomy cloud forming over her.

"But this proves to me that I can send you on more missions now. You will be able to gain lots of experience from this and you should be able to use it elsewhere. You are now on a good path to gain the strength you need to protect your precious ones." Netero smiled at the girl peeking through her protective wrappings, earning himself a small, timid smile.

If only the path to strength didn't also come with so many painful experiences as well.

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><p><strong>Sort of a cliffhanger of an ending. And sadly it's going to have you wondering about that for quite a while. Sorry ^^!<strong>

**Anyways, I hope you found this chapter enjoyable! Till next time!**

**Reviews are lovely!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Yay, another chapter! This is out earlier than initially planned thanks to the reviews I got from: SilverStar56, Xiann, MCRDanime, and Sayaka Sakura! Thank you very, very much for reviewing!**

**I hope you enjoy this chapter! **_Warning_**! It is an _ abrupt_ start that will be explained later!**

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><p>Chapter 6<p>

Mishiro looked around lazily from her perch on the ceiling, slowly tracing the badge with the number 60. The small bit of plastic was hidden underneath her light brown cloak, safely tucked away and out of sight. She yawned out of boredom. The girl had been waiting around for quite a long time and she really just wanted to get this over with. After all, she couldn't really begin her hunt until the exam started.

Movement from the elevator caught her eye and three people stepped out, causing Mishiro to smirk. '_Finally! Something to entertain me for a while._'

She sneered as the fat little man named Tompa intercepted the trio. As he reached into his bag to retrieve his rigged sodas, Mishiro pushed herself out of her little hiding spot and landed between the man his new victims, her cloak fluttering a little and her hood falling off her head, though her identity remained hidden thanks to her wig and special goggles.

"Scatter, or you'll end up similar to Hisoka's next victim" she said to the man coldly. Just then there was a scream and everyone looked around to see a man with his arms sliced off. Mishiro turned her gaze back to Tompa and watched as he backed away quickly. She yawned again before looking around, completely unconcerned by what had just happened. "Yo."

"Why'd you do that?" The boy in green asked, taking in the new person's strange electronic goggles, chocker, forearm, and calf coverings over their black attire underneath their cloak, which was fastened with an intriguing silvery brooch over their right shoulder. He could see his reflection in the person's dark blue visor covering their eyes.

"I'd advise you not to trust that man," Mishiro told the boy and his companions calmly. "There's another reason he has failed so often. That man has taken quite the liking to a new hobby. His other name is Tompa 'The Rookie Crusher'. He was about to try feeding you laxatives with his soda. You should be more wary, child. There are plenty of people here just itching to take you out and diminish the competition."

"Are you one of them?" The boy asked curiously.

Mishiro tilted her head and smiled at his honesty. "No, I mean you no mal intent. Otherwise I would have just let Tompa try to trick you."

The boy smiled brightly. "I'm Gon! And this is Kurapika and Leorio!"

Mishiro's gaze lingered on Kurapika for a while before turning to observe the suited man quickly. "I suppose you can just call me Momo. Since I like you well enough, I'll give you a warning for the future. Beware of the laughing clown. He holds many cards and yours is just one of them."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Leorio questioned loudly.

Mishiro hummed. "While your volume is annoying, don't let your voice fade, especially when the fog reaches its thickest and most deadly peak."

Gon made a confused face. "What does all of that mean?"

Mishiro chuckled. "Like I said, they are warnings for the future. Keep them in mind while you continue through the exam."

"_Lilililililililili_!" A strange alarm shouted out. The sound directed their attention to a man standing on part of the piping where he could be seen by all.

"Here I am," the man with no visible mouth said. "The time for the reception is over. Now the exam can begin." The man hopped down and gestured to a dank looking corridor. "This way please."

Mishiro pulled out a pair of roller skates and strapped them over her flats (that looked nearly identical to Kurapika's). Choosing to wheel herself leisurely after the man.

"Well, we'll begin with a short verification," The man said as the group followed him down the hallway. "It's an extremely difficult exam. Sometimes you can miss a chance and end up hurting yourself, or you can simply die. There are moments, like a little while ago, where you get irreparably hurt in an accident with companions. There are things that can't be avoided. Now, please follow me…Count is okay. 404 participants for the first round of the exam."

"It seems obvious, but nobody has abandoned yet," Leorio stated as he looked around. "Never-the-less, I hoped that…"

"It's weird…" Kurapika muttered.

Suddenly the proctor sped up.

Leorio looked around curiously. "What's happening here? They're all so rushed to get out of here."

"I was right! The rhythm is getting progressively faster!" Kurapika told Leorio over his shoulder. "The ones in the front have all started running!"

"I forgot one detail," The judge said, suddenly speaking again. "I'm Satotsu and I'm in charge of the first round, so I must lead you to the place of the second round."

"You guys should pace yourself," Mishiro hummed. "The first round has begun and you'll be running for quite a few hours before we reach the location of the second round."

"I see," Kurapika murmured.

"This test is weird…" Gon said.

"An endurance test?" Leorio asked. "I'm enjoying it! Where he goes, I go!"

Suddenly, a blur of white passed the group.

"Hey kid! That's not allowed! That's cheating!" Leorio shouted angrily.

"Why?" The boy asked.

"Why? 'Cause it's an endurance test!" The suited man snapped.

"You're wrong! He just asked us to follow him didn't he?" Gon pointed out.

"Gon! Which side are you on?" Leorio shouted.

"You should conserve your energy," Kurapika lectured. "You're just noisy right now… So the principle is that there are no principles."

Leorio growled in frustration.

"Continue wasting your energy like that and you'll regret it later," Mishiro chided softly.

"Ah! You're cheating too!" The old looking teenager yelled.

"I have run for days on end at a more grueling pace than this," Mishiro told the man emotionlessly. "Since all this is, is running, I don't feel like proving what I already have. Besides, I'll have to switch to running when we reach the stairs."

"Tell me, how old are you?" The white haired boy asked Gon.

"Almost 12!" The raven haired boy replied excitedly.

"Hmmm…? Just like me…" the boy murmured. He flipped his skateboard up and caught it expertly. "Fine, I'm also going to run. I'm Killua."

"And I'm Gon!"

"And you mister?" Killua called out over his shoulder.

"Mister!" Leorio shouted indignantly. "Hey! Oi! I'm not that old! I'm from the same generation as you!"

"Are you sure?" Gon questioned loudly to his new companion's amusement.

"Argh! Gon, it's finished! I'm never talking to you again!" Leorio yelled, pointing angrily at the black haired boy.

"What about you?" Killua asked, turning toward Mishiro.

"For now, I'm Momo." The person said vaguely.

"Hey, what's with the goggles and other devices? Aren't they heavy?" Gon asked.

"I've long since gotten used to their weight," Mishiro told the two. "And for now they are necessary."

Killua stared at the person. "Do I know you from somewhere?"

His question summoned a small smile. "Perhaps, but who's to say. I've met many through my travels." Mishiro went a little faster so that she was closer to Kurapika and wouldn't get in the way of Gon and Leorio.

"Ah! Nicolas has now been deserted," Mishiro muttered. She hopped a little and pulled off her skates. "That means the stairs should be up ahead."

Sure enough, when the group rounded the corner a set of stairs came into view and Satotsu picked up his pace. Mishiro picked up her pace as well so that Leorio and Kurapika could have their little truth session. She only partially listened to Gon's and Killua's conversation since she couldn't bring herself to see Gon's father as some amazing person after spending so much time with the infuriating man.

She, like the others, was glad to make it out of the tunnel. But while the others gawked at their surroundings in confusion, she yawned and watched for Leorio and Kurapika. She wasn't particularly interested in the fake monkey thing, nor with how Hisoka dealt with it. But she did make sure she kept on eye on the dangerous man, just in case he decided he didn't want to play nice with her anymore. This turned out to be a smart decision as two cards headed her way, though in a more discreet fashion than the ones thrown at Satotsu and the fake judge. Mishiro caught on in each hand with a click of her tongue and sent them right back. Hisoka caught the cards with a smirk and kissed them.

Mishiro shivered. '_God that was disturbing and extremely gross. Not to mention that, that image is going to haunt me forever now…_'

When the group started running again she made sure to stick to the middle of the pack and melt into the shadows when the clown man started his attack. Mishiro also used the opportunity and went on a little hunt of her own before she returned to see how the others were doing. But she was a little disappointed with the little information that she was able to gather. She had been hoping that a few of her targets knew where the location of her charge was. Irritated, she left the few men that she hadn't taken care of behind to be eaten by the creatures of the marsh.

She made it back in time to see Hisoka walking slowly over to Kurapika, Leorio, and number 76, who seemed to be the only ones still alive. Abruptly, the three split up and took off into different directions. However, Leorio foolishly came back and tried to fight the demon of a man. Luckily, he was saved by Gon. Unfortunately the attack caught Hisoka's interest. After watching Leorio get punched with enough forced to be completely flipped through the air, Mishiro had, had enough of just sitting back and watching, so she shot out of her hiding place and placed herself in between Hisoka and Gon before the man could place his hand around the boy's neck.

"Enough Hisoka," she hissed. "I'm sure you already decided that they passed your test. It's time to move on."

Hisoka hummed a little. "That's not very fun. But you're right. These two have passed. I'm sure they'll make fine hunters." His radio buzzed and a monotone voice told him to get going. The clown picked up Leorio and started walking off into the shadows. "I'll see you at the next testing site."

Mishiro relaxed her stance, shaking a little bit. She was still terrified of the man, even after knowing and having to come into come into contact with him more than a few times. She looked over to see that Gon had sunk to his knees as well. "You alright?"

Before there he could answer, Kurapika reappeared shouting the boy's name. Mishiro forced herself to her feet and watched as the blond haired boy emerged from the fog.

"Are you alright?" The older boy asked.

Gon nodded.

"Good," Mishiro said quietly. She then proceeded to hit the back of the younger boy's head. "Don't you _ever_ do anything that idiotic ever again! How can I ever bring myself to face Mito again, if you die or get seriously injured while I'm around? First jumping off the boat in the middle of a storm, now this! Jeez!"

"You know Aunt Mito?" Gon asked curiously.

"I know a lot of people kid." Mishiro sighed. "Let's get going. The second part of the exam will be starting soon."

"That warning you gave us earlier," Kurapika started thoughtfully. "You were talking about just now, weren't you?"

"The first warning will hold true for quite a while, but the second one was for Leorio during that last thing with Hisoka," Mishiro confirmed.

"Hey Momo, you said that Hisoka had decided that Leorio and I were qualified…What does that mean?" Gon asked suddenly. "He said he was playing judge…but he was really testing us. But how does he do it? He just looked at me."

"Maybe, but you did hit him, didn't you?" Kurapika observed.

"I did, but…Leorio didn't. He even got knocked out!" Gon pointed out. "But even so, he said he was qualified."

The older boy thought a bit as they ran through the trees. "What do you think, Momo?...Huh?"

The two looked around, but Mishiro had vanished.

* * *

><p>Mishiro sighed in relief when Gon and Kurapika burst through the trees and walked over to the still unconscious Leorio. "Thank goodness," she murmured quietly.<p>

Then she hopped off her branch and went into the woods, killing and roasting a pig while the others had the situation explained to them. She walked out with her cooked pig just as everyone else had disappeared into the forest.

"Here you go, Buhara." She deposited the pig in front of the large man.

"Was this one of the events you saw taking place two years ago?" Menchi asked as the man behind her devoured the pig with vigor.

Mishiro shrugged, but smiled a little. "Hard to say. The future isn't set in stone, so things could very well change from what I knew before. Anyways, it's nice to see you again Menchi."

The pink haired woman smiled. "Since Buhara liked your meal, I can't wait to see what you'll do for the second round."

Mishiro smirked. "We'll see. I'm going to stick to the shadows for now though. I think I'll go watch with Satotsu for now. See ya." She walked over to a tree and joined the first judge, striking up a conversation while they waited for the other examinees to return.

"Ooh…This is a really nice group," Satotsu commented as the duo watched a large group come back all at once.

"You think so?" Mishiro asked. "I can tell you who's going to pass this exam, if you want to just watch those people."

The man hummed a bit. "I think I already have an idea. But it would be more entertaining if I continued to watch without any hints."

Menchi rang the gong, signaling that the first round of the second phase was finished.

Mishiro shrugged. "Suit yourself. I should probably go back now. I guess I'll talk to you later."

Satotsu nodded to the girl as she jumped down from the tree.

"Momo! Didn't you catch a pig?" Gon asked worriedly. The other three of his companions looked around as well.

"Of course I did. I was the first one back," Mishiro told them uncaringly.

"Second round, phase two…Here's my order…I want sushi!" Menchi called out. She gave the group their hint and set them to work.

"Do you know what sushi is?" Gon asked Mishiro, who was leaning against the wall coolly.

"Depends on which one you're talking about, after all, I know quite a lot," the mysteriously clad person said indifferently. "But here's a clue. Think carefully about what Menchi has just told you. This meal originated from a small _island_ country."

"Aren't you going to try to make anything?" Killua asked.

Mishiro smirked. "We'll see."

The girl watched as Leorio practically shouted out that sushi was made with fish and the horde of test takers ran out of the building to catch the aquatic animal for their attempt at making the required meal. She then ambled over to Menchi's couch and leaned against its backside so that she was situated right behind the other woman and in front of Buhara.

"You aren't going to give it a try?" Menchi asked, disappointment lacing her voice.

"I'm not giving up, if that's what you're asking," Mishiro replied calmly. "I'm just waiting for something else. Besides, I'm not very skilled with slicing a fish like an expert sushi chef can. Sure I can descale and debone one, but I need to roast it too for my cooking to become any good. Plus there's the danger of cutting a fish wrong and causing it to become poisonous. And I rather you don't get on my case about its taste. But I can make you so tea if you like."

"Sure, that would be wonderful. But how do you planning on passing this part of the exam if you don't make the required meal?" Menchi asked as the younger girl handed over a cup of freshly brewed tea. "I'm not going to pass you just because I know and like you, you know."

Mishiro nodded. "I am aware. How about the next time you go cliff diving, I go with you."

The older woman smirked. "Alright, I guess that's your way of saying you've seen this before. Guess what'll happen, will happen. I'll be sure to hold you to that promise."

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><p><strong>Hm~ So what will happen next? Not the biggest cliffhanger, but hopefully enough to keep you guys interested ;).<strong>

**I hope you liked this chapter!**

**Reviews are lovely and shall bring forth the next chapter faster!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Because I received at least three reviews for my last chapter, I'll go ahead and put this one out early! So a really big thanks to: WinterLily24, SilverStar56, and X-MelodiesOfTheSakuraTree-X! I would not have updated for a long time otherwise! A thanks to the adds and favs as well.**

**I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

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><p>Chapter 7<p>

The group soon returned with their fish and started trying to present their take on sushi, which Menchi refused with growing fury. The older woman became increasingly angry when Hanzo, the not so quiet ninja, gave away how sushi was made. Mishiro sweat dropped along with Buhara when Menchi all but lost it, but neither of them commented since they didn't feel like being on the receiving end of the woman's wrath. Before they knew it, the woman was full and declared that no one had succeeded in passing.

"Careful Buhara," Mishiro said quietly. "255 is going to act up and Menchi might just take her anger a little too far."

The large man nodded and focused his attention on the said contestant. Like the younger girl had warned, the large male tried to confront Menchi about her decision, so Buhara slapped him clear out of the building before the older woman could kill 255 with her meat cleavers.

Mishiro tuned out the rest of the conversation in favor of finishing up her tea, but she followed the other examinees outside when the chairman arrived. She huffed a little when the old man jumped from his airship and landed thousands of feet below like it was nothing, but was slightly amused to see the previously stubborn and enraged Menchi get scolded like a little girl.

She hung back a little with the old man as they waited for most of the other competitors to board the ship. "Hey there Grandpa. Showing off like always I see."

"Shiro," Netero nodded to the girl. "How have you been doing since…"

"I've been gathering information during the test. There are a few more targets that I need to interrogate, but then I think I should have enough information to retrieve my charge," Mishiro informed the man.

Netero studied the girl. "I see that, that device is still in working order."

The young girl nodded. "It has been regulating my memories and completing its required functions properly."

Netero nodded, but he seemed a little sad. "Well, enjoy the rest of the test." He walked away after hearing the girl's own well wishes.

Mishiro boarded the airship and moved to stand outside by the railing, looking at the passing landscape as the group made their way toward the tarantula eagles' nests. She didn't turn even when she heard four sets of footstep approaching her. She could tell by the weight and style who was coming toward her anyways.

"Hey Momo!" Gon said excitedly, running over. "Isn't this amazing."

The girl offered the boy a small smile. "I've been on many airships, but I always enjoy the view and the feel of being high up."

"So did you know this was going to happen?" Leorio asked rather bluntly.

"You can see the future?" Killua asked curiously.

Mishiro shook her head. "I don't _see_ the future. But I do know of events that will take place. And to your question Leorio, I suppose I did. But then, you'll have to wait and see for yourself, since it wouldn't be very fair for me to spill the secrets of this examination."

Killua clicked his tongue, but didn't argue while Kurapika nodded.

Mishiro sighed. "I'm too soft. I guess it'll be alright to tell you guys that you should enjoy this next part. It'll be more of what you were expecting."

Before they could ask the girl more, the airship started to descend so the group headed over to the doors so that they could disembark.

"Here it is," Menchi pointed to the steep cliff, allowing the participants to take the time to peer down the deep ravine.

"But…What's down there?" 255 asked nervously.

"Don't worry! There's a very deep river," Menchi said casually as she pulled off her boots. "The current is very strong. So you better not fall in, unless you want to be washed ashore a few dozen miles from here."

"Menchi, you're scaring them," Mishiro said calmly as she stepped out of the crowd and over to the older woman, while discarding her own cloak, bag, and flats while she was at it.

The pink haired woman smirked. "Good. If they're scared by this, then they won't make for good hunters. I'm glad to see that you're keeping your promise."

Mishiro smiled in return and headed over to the very edge with the other woman. "Of course. I told you, I already saw this. Anyways, race you back!" The two jumped in at the same time, Menchi just diving forward and Mishiro with a little flip. "Last one back is a rotten egg!"

The two of them ignored the shout of surprise coming from the contestants and grabbed at one of the thick web strands. Mishiro swung herself around so that she was crouching on the strand and pulled up one of the nests, collecting a total of five eggs which she stored in a pouch on her waist. She then used the web like a trampoline and launched herself up the cliff, landing a short distance next to Menchi. The two looked at each other and smiled, climbing quickly to try to outdo the other. Netero's voice came floating down as he explained what the others were supposed to do, and as Menchi pulled herself over she decided to finish for the old man.

"Ah cool!" Killua said nonchalantly.

"Yeah! I was expecting something more like that!" Gon agreed.

Leorio grinned. "That's more like it! It's easier to take action than to do some traditional cooking!"

A portion of the group ran forward and dove right in.

Mishiro turned and smiled at the older girl. "I guess we tied this time around."

Menchi grinned as well. "Next time we should actually race seriously, meaning you shouldn't wear those weights and I shouldn't hold back."

The two girls laughed and walked over to the giant pot to boil their eggs. Mishiro caught each of them as they hopped out of the water and handed three over to Buhara, one to Netero, and ate the last one herself. It was amusing to watch the others figure out when their egg was done boiling, but before long the second phase of the exam was over and the remaining 42 were on their way again.

Netero took this time to tell the examinees who he was and why he was there. Mishiro wasn't really listening, but she was watched Gon and Killua running off in bemusement. She wandered over to the other two of the group too see how they were doing and to answer any questions Tompa may have tried to answer.

"How many tests are left?" Kurapika asked the older boy.

"Ah! That's true. We weren't told anything," Leorio mused.

"It varies from year to year and the committee decides how many based on the content of each trial," Mishiro told the two. "But generally there are about five or six tests."

"So, still three or four more," Leorio said wearily.

"So we'd better use this opportunity to rest…" Kurapika figured.

"I'd advise you to stay vigilant," Tompa said as he passed the group. He explained the reasons that they should stay awake, and though they were true, the fact that the ugly man had to bring up the topic was irritating. "Even here you better not drop your guard." The man left with a smirk.

"If you like, I can keep watch," Mishiro offered.

Kurapika shook his head. "No, it's fine. We should be able to manage just fine."

The girl nodded and left the two. She paused down one of the corridors as she spotted Hisoka in the middle, building his card tower and knocking down while laughing. She sweat dropped. Perhaps there was another way around.

Sadly the clown man spotted the girl and smiled. "Momo-chan! It's been a while."

Mishiro abruptly turned around with the full intent of just walking away before the man could say anymore, but to no avail.

"And after I've been so nice and kept your secret for you, you should really try being nicer."

Mishiro turned around. "Okay, one) being within a hundred yards of you is dangerous, and two) _nicer_? Are you serious? Since when have you ever been nice to me? You've been making subtle attempts to kill me since day one!"

Hisoka tilted his head in mock confusion. "But I greeted you rather pleasantly I thought."

A vein popped on Mishiro's forehead. '_Hisoka + attempted decapitation = nice hello?_' A red X blinked across that thought process. "You wanna try running that by me again? 'Cause the last time I checked, trying to kill me as I happen to pass you down a street doesn't warrant any friendship of any sort in my opinion."

Hisoka giggled. "Well, you just stood out so much from the crowd, I couldn't help myself. In any case I have something to tell you. Danchou is looking for you again."

Mishiro shivered. "Why? I haven't done anything against them!"

"It seems that he'd like some information about the auction in York Shin." Hisoka picked up his cards and began a new tower.

"Erg. I don't really think that I'll have that much to say about that one. In any case, I'm going to go somewhere else now. Buh bye," Mishiro back tracked down the hallway.

"I'll see you later, Shiro-chan," Hisoka called after the girl quietly, knowing that the girl would hear him.

Mishiro suppressed a shiver as she walked away from the man quickly, not really paying attention to where she was going till she felt a steam of dangerous intent coming from around the corner. She froze and peered around carefully. Understanding flooded her when she spotted Gon and Killua. The memory of what she read in the manga came back in time so that she didn't jump when Netero came up from behind her.

"What's happening?" The old man asked the two as he walked up to them.

"Well?" Gon said hesitantly, trying to figure out how to put it into words. He pointed down the other end of the hall. "Netero-san, didn't you have the sensation that somebody was closing in from there?"

"No… Did you Momo-chan?" The old man looked around and asked slyly.

'_That sneaky, conniving old man!_' Thankfully the girl's goggled hid her twitching eye. She stepped forward and joined the group as well. "I did not sense anything out of the ordinary."

Killua studied the old man. "You're really fast for your old age."

"You think? I was just walking here without haste with Momo-chan," Netero replied innocently.

'_You're totally using me!_' Mishiro thought in outrage. But she was able to remain emotionless in front of the others. She could practically see the electricity running between Killua and Netero as they stared (glared on Killua's part) at each other. She was tempted to massage her temples and sigh, but that would show that she knew more than she was letting on.

"What do you want?" Killua asked coldly. "Got nothing to do until the finals?"

"Such coldness! I'm bored so I was looking for someone to play with," Netero answered the boy, completely unaffected with the death glare he was receiving. "It's your first time participating in the trials, right? You like it?"

"Yes! It's fun!" Gon replied enthusiastically. "It's different than what I expected! There are no written exams for instance!"

'_Yeah, Gon and Ging have that in common,_' Mishiro mused. '_Less thought on paper and more action…At least Gon is cute about it._'

"Me, I'm disappointed. I thought the trials would be harder," Killua replied indifferently.

The three turned to look at Mishiro. "Oh no. Don't drag me into this. There are some answers that are better off unsaid."

Killua shrugged and turned his attention back to the old man. "Will we finally have fun on the next test?"

"Well…You'll see…" The old man replied sneakily.

"Come!" Killua said, dragging Gon away and motioning for Mishiro to follow with a jerk of his head. "We're wasting our time."

"Wait," Netero called out, unfazed with their reaction. "Don't you want to play with me?"

'_So wrong._' Mishiro shuddered as memories of a girl that attended her school on Earth and tried to befriend her, came up to Mishiro with her obsession of yaoi. Mishiro, who had a clean and rather innocent mind, was hideously scared that day.

"Are you coming Momo?" Gon asked the girl, bringing her out of her thoughts.

The girl nodded and moved forward to catch up with the three. "I think I will, but I'm only going to watch."

"And I thought that we could have some fun," Netero said in a mock disappointed tone, almost like a child who didn't get their way.

Mishiro's eyebrow twitched. "You shouldn't be so willing to destroy this airship during the hunter exam, you old coot. Besides, I don't want to have my ass handed to me, so I'd rather avoid any sort of fighting with you."

"Stingy, stingy, stingy," the old man complained as he headed into a large room. He tossed his over shirt into a corner, revealing a black tank top underneath, and picked up a ball. He then explained his game to the two boys.

'_He's openly mocking them,_' Mishiro thought, observing how the old man stood on his right foot and spun the ball on his left hand. '_That's a mean move old man. But I guess this is your way of testing those two huh? I doubt you really would have asked me to play this game, since there is no information about me to gain…Still, they're fairing quite well._'

Mishiro winced when Killua tried to kick Netero's legs out from under him. And again when Gon collided with the ceiling, though she sweat dropped once he fell onto his rear. She sighed. He might have been able to possibly touch the ball if he had calculated that jump properly, since he had successfully caught the old man when he was reminiscing about how brash young people were. There was still no possible way that he could have successfully taken the ball, but being able to touch it was a huge accomplishment.

Mishiro half smiled. This boy was a much more enjoyable version of his father…She could sense that the person, whom she couldn't quite remember because of the device she was wearing, would have liked the two boys a lot.

Sometime during the game, Mishiro dozed off. But she woke up when she heard the door clang shut. She yawned and looked around. '_So Killua has left huh…I think I'll follow him. Someone needs to clean up that mess after all._'

Mishiro waved to the other two, feeding them the excuse that she wanted to go get something to eat, and left as well. She sighed when she rounded the corner and saw the bloody mess at the other end of the hall, Killua still walking.

She pressed her hands onto her hips as she observed the damage. "Honestly, you could have done this a little cleaner, don't you think?"

The white haired boy spun around in surprise. He hadn't sensed anyone approaching and worse than that, someone had witnessed what he had just done. But to his surprise, the girl opened a window and dumped the bodies outside. She didn't seem concerned that he had just killed someone, rather she just disproved of the mess left behind. He continued to watch, stunned, as she pulled out a towel from nowhere and wiped away all of the blood and bits of body parts before tossing that outside the open window as well.

"Now let's see…" Mishiro pursed her lips and turned back to the boy. She handed him a towelette. "You should clean off your hand. You never know, idiocy could be contagious and spread through blood on skin contact." She smiled a little.

"You're weird, you know that?" Killua said bluntly, not making a move to take the towel.

Mishiro flicked the boy's forehead. "Don't piss off the people who try to help you, you brat."

Killua grimaced from the impact, but switched back to a small frown almost immediately. "How come you're not scared of me? I just killed somebody without remorse, just so that I could vent my anger on something."

"Listen brat, I know about all you and your family. And frankly speaking, I really don't care. My reason being, is that I know you're a good boy." Mishiro smiled softly and ruffled the kid's hair, much to his displeasure. She turned back around, but not before tossing the disposable wipe back to the boy. "That's all for now. I have other things to take care of, so I'll see you later. The ship is about to slow down in a bit, so you should take that time to get some rest."

The white haired boy stared at the retreating back of the girl in confusion. She had come all that way just to clean up his mess and tell him to relax a little?...But there was an odd warm feeling, knowing that there was at least two people who liked him for him, and weren't afraid because of his family and background. He kind of wished that she was his older sibling instead of…well, it would have been nice.

* * *

><p>Mishiro returned just in time to see Gon flop onto his back and pass out from exhaustion. She shook her head and sighed. "How stubbornly ridiculous."<p>

"Oh? Did you come back to try a round after all?" Netero quipped.

"As if," Mishiro dead panned. "I know my limits. It'd take me forever just to touch that ball, and I'm _way_ ahead of those two, for now that is."

Instead, she collected Gon's materials and placed them by his side. She then folded his coat into a pillow and took out a blanket from her back, tossing it over his frame. She also cleaned and bandaged the wound on his forehead.

"There. Now he can actually get some decent rest." Mishiro looked up to see Netero had already concluded his call with the captain and was making his way toward the door.

"I think I'll go work out a bit for now. Feel free to visit me if you wish." The old man said to the girl before he left.

Mishiro sighed for the umpteenth time. "I guess I'll go back to where Kurapika is and get a little more shut eye as well."

With once last glance at her sensei's son, she too left the room.

* * *

><p>Mishiro disembarked the ship with the rest of the group feeling a little irritated. One of the fools on the ship thought he could ambush and possibly molest her when she had left for the bathroom alone. And even though she had taught him a very hard learned lesson, she was still pissed off that so many of the males on the ship were sexist pigs. It was infuriating that they thought that she was lower than them just because she was the only female on the ship.<p>

"Momo! Hey!"

The blond girl looked around to see Gon waving and jogging up to her. He handed the blanket she had loaned him back to her. "Thanks for taking care of me and letting me use your blanket."

The corner of the girl's mouth quirked up and she ruffled the boy's hair. "No problem. I'm glad you didn't suffer any brain damage from all the hits you took to the head yesterday."

Gon grinned toothily. "Those weren't so bad."

Mishiro shook her head at the boy. "Certainly looked so to me."

"So what do you think we need to do to get to the bottom?" Leorio asked, walking up with Kurapika.

"Well, you could jump if you want. That'll definitely get you to the bottom the fastest way," Mishiro provided unhelpfully.

"That's not very funny!" The oldest of the group practically yelled.

Before the girl could make another witty quip to mock the teenager, number 86 decided to show off by trying to climb down the side of the tower. He was barely thirty feet down the side when ugly, egg headed, multi armed, bird like creatures attacked him and ate him alive off the face off the tower.

Mishiro considered hopping on top and riding one of the gigantic birds down to the bottom. It would have been easy enough to stave off the other birds with her nen, but she wasn't sure if she would be able to gain entrance to the meeting room once she had. So, with no other ideas, she went over to one of the hidden entrances and slipped inside while everyone's attention was diverted.

Only one thing crossed her mind when she had landed inside the small room; '_This isn't what happened in the anime or manga._'

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><p><strong>Oh no, cliffhanger! What could be inside that room to make her so dreadful? Review and you'll find out sooner! ;)<strong>


	8. Chapter 8

**Yay for updates! I wasn't going to put this up, but I decided that since I finished it early due to my after finals high, and I am extremely grateful to the few readers who _have_ reviewed, that I wanted to put this up for them.**

**So a BIG THANK YOU to: Xiann and SilverStar56. I am truly grateful to your support and for taking the time to review!**

**Also a thanks to the favs and adds I got as well.**

**I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

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><p>Chapter 8<p>

Mishiro banged her forehead against one of the walls lightly as she muttered woefully to herself. "I must have been some evil sadistic war lord who killed hundreds of thousands without remorse and with my bare hands in my last life to have this thrown at me now."

"Aaah~ It's not that bad Momo-chan. And here we were waiting so patiently for you."

Mishiro sent a sour look toward Hisoka. Then she directed her gaze at their other companion. "Are you going to keep that disguise up?"

Clack, clack, clack, clack, clack.

Mishiro sighed a little. "Yeah. I thought you'd say that."

* * *

><p><em>Kurapika looked around curiously. The crowd had diminished a great deal without him realizing it.<em>

"_What's the problem?" Leorio asked when he noticed his companion studying the area differently._

"_The number of participants has decreased," the blond informed the older man._

_Leorio's eyebrows shot up in surprise and he immediately took count. "21…22…23!"_

"_We're about half the amount of when we arrived here," Kurapika confirmed._

_"What? But when...?" Leorio asked worriedly. _

_"I can't really think that they all discreetly used the same way to get down. So there must be several hidden doors!" Kurapika observed seriously._

_"Leorio! Kurapika!" Gon called out, walking over quickly with Killua. _

_"Gon!" Kurapika called back._

"_We found a way down," Gon informed the two quietly so that the reaming contestants wouldn't hear as well. "But we're hesitating."_

"_Huh? How can you hesitate?" Leorio just about demanded._

"_Yeah! Which door should we use? There are a lot of them," Gon explained. He brought the other two over to the group of hidden doors and pointed them out._

"_Five doors. Each on close to the others," Leorio mused suspiciously. "I don't like this."_

"_There are probably some that are traps," Kurapika pointed out._

"_Yep…" Leorio agreed._

_"It seems the trap door system only functions one time..." Gon told the duo. _

_"Yeah," Killua nodded to show that he had made the same observation. _

_"How?" Leorio asked. _

_"By some chance, we saw somebody using a trap door at another place," Gon told the other two. "We were never able to do the same thing because it was blocked."_

"_In fact, the passing through is done one by one," Killua added, raising a finger as he spoke to indicate that they had to do so one at a time. "That means each of us has to enter through a different trap door."_

"_I see!" Leorio muttered. He bent down and pushed one of the doors open a crack to view its width. "It looks right, considering the size of the passage. It would only fit one person."_

"_Gon and I have decided to each pass through one of these five doors," Killua told the older two._

"_Even if it's a trap, no regrets," Gon agreed confidently. "What are you going to do?"_

"_It's okay for me too!" Leorio gave them the thumbs up. "I was told that luck is also a force, isn't it?"_

_Kurapika nodded and smiled a little in agreement. "Who chooses first?"_

"_Why don't we play rock paper scissors for it?" Gon proposed._

_The others moved forward to play, but Kurapika paused and glanced around._

"_What's wrong now?" Leorio inquired of the teen._

"_Momo isn't here…" Kurapika said, slowly turning back around. "I guess she figured it out long before the rest of us."_

"_And she didn't tell us!" The suited teenager exclaimed indignantly._

"_She probably couldn't if she went through a trap door. I doubt she could come back through it to tell us," the blond reasoned._

_The four played their game and picked their doors. Then, on the count of three, they passed through, each of them thinking that they were going their separate ways. But to their surprise, they all landed together in the same room. Everyone but Leorio managed to land easily on their feet. They sweat dropped when they realized what had just happened._

"_All the trap doors lead to the same room!" Leorio yelled, still in the awkward position in which he had landed._

"_What a long separation," Kurapika deadpanned._

"_Oh, yes!" The older black haired teen replied sarcastically._

"_But…There isn't any exit…" Gon observed._

_The other looked around as well until they spotted a podium holding five watches and a sign hanging above it that read: _

_Choice of the way, Majority Rule. For the five candidates: you'll have to reach your goal following the majority's choice._

"_Five?" Kurapika questioned._

_Leorio looked down to study the contents on the podium. "There are even five watches."_

"_With two buttons: X and O," Killua pointed out._

"_That would mean…" Kurapika realized as he strapped on a watch. "We still need one more person…We won't be able to get out of here, before another guy falls into this room?"_

"_Aw man! Why couldn't Momo have gone with us?" Leorio yelled in frustration._

* * *

><p>'<em>Why, oh why, didn't I just go with Kurapika and the rest?<em>' Mishiro asked herself woefully for the sixteenth time since she had entered the room to find both Illumi and Hisoka.

She felt the urge to slam her head against a wall for her stupid decision, but refrained from doing so because she didn't want to draw the clown man and assassin's attention onto her more than it already was.

'_And weren't you trying to protect them from Tompa?_' Little Shiro scolded her. '_Now look what you've done! You could have taken Tompa's place, beaten his opponent and then when Leorio proved that Kurapika had won, then they would have had enough victories to move on!_'

Mishiro sighed inwardly. At least they were more than halfway down the tower, though it was a little odd that they hadn't faced any traps yet.

A dark chuckling echoed down the suddenly much wider corridor.

'_I take that last thought back,_' Mishiro deadpanned.

Three hooded figures emerged from the shadows. One of them giggled in a high pitch screech.

'_Oh? So we're stuck in a fight similar to Gon and the others? I didn't expect this._' Mishiro yawned. "All three of you will die if you challenge us, so do you mind just letting us through without the hassle?"

"Arrogant girl, we shall see who the last one standing will be," the high pitch person shrieked.

But Mishiro was unfazed. She plopped down on the ground and leaned against the wall. "Let me know when it's my turn up."

"I've been waiting for you…Hisoka…" One of the hooded figures pulled off his robe to reveal a scarred man in a furry red vest.

'_Strange. Wasn't that man one of the judges for last year's exam? If so, then who are the others?_' Mishiro wondered to herself. '_I suppose quite a few things are changing. I'm curious as to why though. I doubt my presence in the exam could do all that. Then again, I might just be jumping to conclusions. None of them have handcuffs on, so they're not prisoners…People getting paid to slow us down then?_'

"This year I'm not here to judge you…but to avenge myself." The man smirked confidently.

'_Oh? He answered my question for me._' She watched Hisoka take on the scarred man's four billhook fighting style easily, ending it with killing the man with his own weapons. "_But if he was a juror, then why is he so weak? Shouldn't he be able to use nen? Yet, I sense nothing from him…_"

"Damn you, Hisoka!" The thinnest person screamed. They ripped off their robe to reveal a woman with magenta hair and eyes.

The recognition system in Mishiro's goggles went off. After a quick facial scan, Mishiro was able to find out that this person was one of her targets.

"My apologies, Mr. Clackety," Mishiro said as she pushed herself off the floor and walked forward. "But I'm afraid you'll have to go last after all. This woman is _my_ target."

The woman sneered at the younger girl. "You think you can take me on- _aaaaaaahhhhh_!" The woman's words were cut short with her own scream when, in a flash, her arms were broken.

"Where is the location of Kimiko K.?" Mishiro asked emotionlessly.

The woman glared at her, panting from the sudden surge of pain. "I have no idea who you're talking about."

"Three months and six days ago, you ambushed two girls in a factory with 28 others and your boss. You then attempted to put both of them into transport, but killed the older one when she fought back. Where is the location of the younger one?" Mishiro reached over her shoulder and pulled out the twin blades that were strapped to her back in an X.

The woman smirked. "Admit that you've lost this fight and maybe I'll tell you." The woman shrieked again, this time stabbed in the shoulders and pinned against the ground.

"Where is Kimiko's location?" Mishiro reiterated, still as emotionless as when she had first recognized the woman.

"I don't know!" The woman yelled. "Please, spare me!"

"I do not negotiate the lives of people like you," Mishiro replied impassively. She pulled her blades out of the woman and moved to place the finishing blow.

"Wait!" The woman shouted desperately. "I-I think contestant 397 might know something!"

"…Thank you for your cooperation. The data has been saved. Good-bye." Before the woman even had time to widen her eyes in shock and fear, Mishiro had plunged her blades into her heart. The black haired girl wiped the blood off onto the woman's clothes and went back to her previous position. "You're turn," she muttered the needle covered man.

Hisoka laughed lightly. "You're making it difficult to resist the urge to fight you, Momo-chan."

Mishiro didn't bother answering the clown man. He would attack her…for now.

The last person didn't even have time to pull of their robe before they were taken down by a single needle. Then the three of them continued on their way. The traps were more than easily avoided and the trio walked calmly out into the open waiting room.

"Third round! First arrived: Number 44, Hisoka! Second arrived: Number 60, Momo! Third arrived: Number 301, Gittarackur! Time used: 6 hours and 17 minutes!" A speaker announced.

'_Like we needed to know that,_' Mishiro thought grumpily. She sighed. Now all she had left to do was sit and wait for the others. She walked away from the other two and sat down by the wall, willing herself to meditate and ignore her surroundings.

* * *

><p>A minute left, Mishiro finally opened her eyes and trained her eyes on the door straight across from Hisoka, who was playing poker with IllumiGittarackur.

She could hear the toboggan approaching. But she wasn't the only one. Hisoka smiled and looked over at the door as well.

Thirty seconds to go the door opened and the group stepped out. Mishiro smirked and stood up, her joints popping from the lack of movement for over 65 hours. She stretched and ambled slowly over to the group, coming up behind them unnoticed as they made their way back onto the airship.

"Come on Killua!" Gon called out excitedly. "Let's go to the open deck!"

"Okay!" The white haired boy agreed with a smile.

"Oh no you don't," Mishiro said sternly, grabbing the two boys by their ears. She looked over at the retreating Kurapika and Leorio with a stern glare as well. "And where do you four think _you're_ going? Leorio, go the bathroom and scrub that hand clean this instant!"

"What?" The older teen yelled indignantly. "And why should I do that?"

"Don't test me boy. I'm already at my limit, trying not to slap you for your stupid perverted ways back in that tower. I should really sock it to you for all woman kind, but I'm letting you off easy. So you _better_ do what you're told."

Leorio shuddered at the aura coming off the girl and the fact that she knew what happened despite not being with their group. He decided that it would be in his best interest to do as the girl had requested and wash his hands thoroughly.

"Hey, Momo! Let go!" Gon and Killua protested.

"Hold still you two!" Mishiro quipped, but she did release them. She pulled out a few rags, tossing one to Kurapika. She raised the other two and began to wipe off the grime that had accumulated on the two younger boys, despite their protests.

Kurapika sweat dropped at the display, but wiped himself off like the girl had implied.

"Killua, did you take care of your hand? You know very well that you have to stretch it properly after you finish, or do you want it stuck like that forever?" Mishiro scolded. "And Gon, did you treat the burns you got from the melted wax? Aunt Mito won't be very happy if those scar up."

"We got it. Sheesh! Stop treating us like little kids," Killua complained.

"Don't sass me boy," Mishiro said with a threatening finger raised. "Now go wash your hands and then I want you to come right back so that you can eat a proper meal before the next exam. Do you hear me?"

"Yes, yes," the boys chanted together in an uncaring tone. But then they smiled at the girl and ran off.

"Why go so far?" Kurapika asked curiously, handing his rag back to the girl with a thanks.

"They remind me of someone important," Mishiro replied with a fond smile. "I can't remember whoever they are very clearly as of yet, but I get the feeling that, that person would have gotten along very well with those two."

Kurapika smiled a little. "I must say that I'm a little surprised."

Mishiro turned to look at the boy. "Why's that?"

The blond shook his head, his smile still in place. "You didn't exactly seem like the extreme mother hen type."

Mishiro shrugged. "Hm, well to each their own."

"So how many exams are left? I washed my hands! I washed my hands!" Leorio exclaimed when Mishiro turned around with her brows furrowed. He sighed when she appeared appeased.

"Three," the girl told the duo.

"Where do you think the next one will take place?" Kurapika asked, trying to take advantage the girl's suddenly helpful mood.

"A dangerous island. You should be careful of stormy waves, or you'll hurt your head," Mishiro warned the bland.

Kurapika nodded, acknowledging her warning. "What about the test after that one?"

"Another island. But it is not the finding that will be difficult, but the loss that is sure to ensue," the girl said mysteriously. "Of course, after that test it will be the final. That one is sure to be the most taxing out of all the exams, just not in the way you would expect."

"Your answers leave me more confused than when I started," Leorio complained.

Mishiro shrugged. "Then don't ask. It's not like I'm allowed to tell you the details of what will happen. I can only give you warnings and hope you take them to heart in time. Good luck to you though." The raven haired girl chuckled, almost sinisterly. "You're definitely going to need it."

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><p><strong>Sigh, that wasn't very nice of Mishiro, but it's in her nature to do something like that. Anyways, I hoped you guys liked this chapter!<strong>

**Reviews are lovely!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hi there! Sorry for taking so long, but if you didn't see on my profile or in my other stories, I got hit by a car and got a broken wrist out of it. I also have a job and an ill grandpa, so my output for updates has become a little sporadic. I hope you can forgive me! But I did make an extra long chapter for you guys!**

**I want to say a REALLY BIG THANKS to: X-MelodiesOfTheSakuraTree-X, SilverStar56, MysteriousXWriter, and Hana-tachi for reviewing! It means a lot and helps me through my boughts of no motivation due to my irritatingly developed condition. So thanks!**

**Alright, I hope you guys like this chapter!**

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><p>Chapter 9<p>

With the island in sight, Mishiro slipped away from the four boys and headed off to the bathroom where she could change into more swim worthy gear. Sure, it was alright for guys to swim in their regular clothes, or even boxers, but there was no way in the seven or how many other levels of hell that Mishiro was going to let anyone see her soaked. She may have no memories of her past life, but she still had her ideals and sense of decency. She disembarked the air ship last, wearing at least her cloak, but didn't converge with the rest of the group. Instead, she dropped her bag by the edge of the dock and set up a few traps, as well as a nen barrier (just in case) around her items, tossing her cloak on top. She then performed a beautiful, and more importantly a splash free and noiseless, dive into the water.

Her electronic gear located a couple of small chests full of gold and gems and whatnot, which Mishiro immediately dove for. She pulled out a small satchel she took with her and filled it with a good portion of the jewels that she knew would fetch for the highest price (Ging had taught her how to determine the value and worth of all types of treasure). She knew that these would come in handy later, and she was aiming to get a hunter license so it should have been expected that she would gather some treasure for herself. She then secured the chests so that none of the treasure would fall out on her trip back to the surface and swam back up, tossing the two chests up so that she could climb out with less effort.

The current raven wrapped her cloak around her waist like a beach wrap and carried the two small treasure chests to the old could, dumping it by the old man's feet. "This should be enough for a single room, no?"

The old man, Genner, leaned down and examined the insides of the crate with a critical eye before nodding to his wife, who then handed Mishiro a single room key. "You made very quick work here, I must say."

Mishiro smiled slyly. "Yes. Your island retreat is a very good place for treasure hunting…and catching a few waves, right?"

The old couple smiled and chuckled a little. Banner bowed a little and wished the girl a good time. Mishiro gave them a motionless wave as she sauntered back to her back and swung it over her shoulder, ignoring the blatant red faced stares she was getting and heading off to another part of the island.

"Hey! Momo!" Gon called out as he and the others ran to catch up with the girl. He and Killua were the only ones who weren't blushing.

Mishiro paused and looked over her shoulder. "Is there something you need?"

"Why is it that you got to go grab treasure first, huh?" Leorio demanded loudly, despite his anger, there was a slight perverted gleam in his eyes. "You should have at least told us that much! We're all friends aren't we?"

Mishiro's raised eyebrow went unseen by the others, but she sighed and shook her head. "I doubt you would truly want to be friends with the likes of me. I've long since attracted a great deal of unwanted attention and it would be foolish to endanger anyone else."

"Anyone else?" Kurapika asked quietly.

The girl looked around toward where the horizon met the ocean. "Ah…I can't remember anything about them right now, but I know that it is because of me that they were taken. It's my responsibility to get them back."

Gon frowned a little and tilted his head in confusion. "Get who back?"

Mishiro grimaced and shook her head. "I can't remember."

"Why?" The raven haired boy questioned.

"It was probably a long time ago. You should just give up kid," Leorio grumbled, though there was sadness laced within his tone despite his efforts to hide it.

Mishiro shook her head again and pointed to her electronic gear. "To prevent me from becoming emotionally unstable, I was given this gear. It has a lot of functions, but the main one is to block out the memories of my past starting about three months ago. But don't get me wrong. I chose to wear this. It helps keep me mission oriented, otherwise who knows what I would do. For all I know, my past self could have gone on a rampage. Besides, the passwords are supposed to be really easy to guess, so I technically should be able to take this thing off whenever I want."

"So you don't remember anything?" Killua inquired slowly.

"I know everything of importance," Mishiro clarified. "Just not anything that could rile me emotionally."

"So why don't you think we should be friends again?" The doctor hopeful brought back up.

Mishiro almost groaned. "I'm dangerous and dangerous people are after me."

"You know," Killua said slowly, "you really don't have much of an argument after everything you said to me."

"There is a difference boy. I know of your past and everything associated with it," Mishiro argued. '_I've even had the unfortunate luck to work with a few of your members._' "On the other hand, you know absolutely nothing of mine."

"Then tell us what little you remember," Leorio barked like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Mishiro sighed exasperatedly. "You _obviously_ have no idea how this works. In any case, don't you have a room to pay off?"

"Ah! You're right!" Gon exclaimed.

"Do you think you could help us find some treasure?" Leorio asked expectantly.

"Gee, I'd love too but," a strange pressure gathered around the group. "You should really be trying to find it on your own and I have prior commitments, so bye." Faster than a blink of the eye, Momo disappeared.

"She abandoned us!" Leorio raged. "…Again!"

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><p>Mishiro came skidding to a halt only when she was sure they wouldn't be able to sense her anymore a few miles down the coast. It's not that she didn't want to help them, but she had heard a few rumors that there was a fighting style for non nen users to combat nen users on even ground that was supposedly hidden in some underwater cave on the island. After gathering a little more information on the subject, Mishiro decided that there was enough to go investigate at the very least.<p>

She didn't doubt the idea of an anti-nen fighting style. She actually thought it was quite plausible. Back on Earth, Mishiro had watched a cartoon that she knew was based off of another world. In this cartoon a female warrior was able to block the chi of other 'element benders' and render them immobile and unable to use their ability for a length of time, so why not apply that same concept to other worlds as well?

As it was, Mishiro's own hatsu was too obvious once seen in action and her abilities had already drawn a great deal of unwanted attention, so a fighting style like the one she would be searching for would be perfect to hide her own nen abilities. Earth had taught her about all the pressure points located in the human body, but that only caused pain and wouldn't give her enough of an edge in battle against the super pain-tolerant people (like the Zoldyck family).

Mishiro's device alerted the girl that she was in the general location she had marked on her map of the island, so she walked over to the edge of the short cliff she had traversed over too and looked down. This water was a great deal darker than around the other areas she had passed, so this had to be near the entrance. The girl folded her cloak and stored it within her bag, creating a coating of nen around it so that none of the water would get inside, then took a deep breath and jumped off the cliff.

She dove as deep as she could and began searching around for a specially marked cave entrance, coming back up to the surface several times when she ran up to the air. It took her over two hours before she finally found it. Mishiro returned to the surface one last time for air, then swam back to the cave an entered. This was a gamble on her part, since there was no way to be sure that there would be any air banks before she reached the end and if there wasn't, then there might not be enough time for the girl to swim out in time. But Mishiro pressed on. Even when she felt her air depleting, she kept calm and moved forward.

Just before she was completely out of air, she spotted it. A small bubble of air, just enough for her head to surface, but it was enough. The girl took several gulp of air to sate her system before diving back down one again, trudging forward. Mishiro figured she had traveled a good distance into the island, not quite to the center, but she should be nearing if the trail went any further. Air banks were distanced with a good space in between so that not just anyone could have travelled down this path.

Finally, _finally_ Mishiro spotted the biggest air bank yet and surfaced to see that she wasn't just chasing after rumors after all. She climbed onto the stone bank and began recording her findings. Thanks to Ging, she was able to decipher the hieroglyphics carved onto the wall, which was illuminated by the strange green and blue glowing stalagmites growing within. When she was absolutely sure she had gathered every possible bit of information, Mishiro reached into her bag and pulled out a few small bombs, setting them to blow when the storm hit. While she hated the idea of destroying a bit of history, she knew that it would be unwise to leave this cave for someone of a more impure mindset to find later on.

The girl then traversed back to the surface, finding that the current had carried her a long distance back down the coast after she had exited the cave. She swan until her feet could reach the bottom and walked back up the beach with a heavy sigh. "What an exhausting day."

"Really? I thought it was a lot of fun!"

Mishiro deadpanned and stopped walking. She looked around before heaving another sigh. "You guys again? _Really_?"

"Hey, you're the one who climbed out of the water without looking around," Leorio defended.

The girl reached up and rubbed the back of her head, the other hand resting on her hip. "I knew that there was people here, but I didn't feel anything threatening enough to pay attention so I put your presence to the back of my mind. Now had you been Hisoka or Clackety, then I would have felt you _way_ off and swam until I had at least a couple miles in between."

"Momo, do you think you could…" Kurapika said awkwardly, using a hand to shield his eyes a little.

Mishiro rolled her eyes, but dried herself off and pulled her black shorts and shirt back on. "Better?"

"Much," Kurapika said thankfully with a nod.

"So I take it that you guys are all finished up with your treasure hunting today?" Mishiro asked conversationally.

"Yeah, but none of us got anything more than a second class room," Killua complained. "How were you able to find enough treasure to get yourself a first class room in the first place?"

Mishiro tilted her head. "I picked out the ship that had the best history and with the most likelihood to have something of great value hidden within. Speaking of treasure with history, do you still have that pendant from the Kurata ship?"

"Mm," Kurapika hummed and pulled out the ruby encrusted gold lizard for the girl to see.

"Do-…Do you think that I could hold it for a bit?" Momo asked in an uncharacteristically hesitant tone.

At first the blond was going to apologize and deny the girl, but for some reason he felt compelled to allow her at least that small action. "Please be careful with it. It belongs to my clan."

Mishiro nodded and took the pendant carefully. She stared at the necklace, taking in the craftsmanship and details of the small piece of history lying in her hands. She smiled sadly. "It's so beautiful…and so tragic."

Her smile slipped and she hastily returned the piece of gold to the other boy, who gave her a questioning look but didn't press her for details. Images splattered in crimson started filling her mind and Mishiro pressed a hand to her head as if to stop them.

"Is something wrong?" Gon asked innocently.

Mishiro stood up abruptly, a hand still pressed to her head. "I have to go." She ran off before anything else could be said.

"…What was that all about?" Leorio wondered aloud.

Killua shrugged. "Who's to say for sure. Anyways, I'm hungry…"

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><p>Mishiro didn't resurface from her room until it was dark and her emotions were back under the control the electronic device attached to her. She wondered down the halls silently until she was by the airship.<p>

"Oh? And what are you doing up so late young one?"

Mishiro turned around to see Banner and her husband walking up. "I wanted to see you off."

The old man chuckled. "You truly are a strange one. You don't even question our motives for being out so late?"

"I already know what you're up too, so I see no reason to question any further," Mishiro told the man easily.

"And you're not going to ask if you could come with and avoid everything that is about to happen?" The old woman asked with an amused smile.

Mishiro smirked a little. "But how fair would that be to the other applicants? No, I'll stay and what how they handle the upcoming hurricane."

Banner smiled. "Then we'll see you when we return."

The younger woman nodded and waved as the airship took off.

"Wah!"

Mishiro looked around to see Gon and Killua, who didn't notice her just yet in favor of the leaving vehicle. The other applicants piled out soon after.

"This is probably what that shiver was trying to warn me about," Kurapika muttered.

"Shouldn't you be a little mad?" Leorio grumbled. "They just took off and left us here."

"We should have seen this coming," Killua murmured. He looked around, his gaze falling on Momo. "You were probably out here in time to see those old geezers taking the airship, so why didn't you go with them?"

"Forget leaving with them!" Leorio growled. "Why didn't you stop them?"

"Why should I?" Mishiro countered. "What right does an applicant have in these matters?"

"What?" Leorio all but shouted.

Mishiro shrugged and began walking away. "Think about it yourself. I'm not going to say another word about it."

From there the group sat around for another five hours before arguing what how they should continue. The others tried to ask Mishiro what she knew, but she world only giggle and shake her head. It was so amusing to see them argue so foolishly and divide so easily.

Kurapika was about to run off to another part of the ship with Leorio when he paused and looked back at Momo. "Are you coming with…Mo…mo?"

But the girl was already gone.

In fact, none of them say neither hide nor tail of the girl the rest of the day.

In the meantime, Mishiro went up to the rocks and sent a surge of nen through its weak spots so that when the group tried to break the naval ship free, the rocks would actually break all the way through. She also cleared out the air ducts that Pokkle and Ponzu would need to get to the engine. And deciding that she had helped them more than enough, she went to take a nap and didn't get up till the next day, when she decided to go see how the others were doing once more. She walked into the room just in time to hear Gon declaring that he and Killua would clear off the seaweed.

The albino assassin grimaced. "Wha-! Sounds like a lot of work to me."

"It'll be fine," Gon tried to persuade the other.

Mishiro slammed her hand down on the white haired boy's head and rubbed her palm into his skull, ignoring his protests. "Don't be such a whiner! Honestly. It's not like you wouldn't have fun with Gon eventually."

Said boy nodded and looked at his friend expectantly. "Come on!"

"Oh…Alright," the albino gave in.

The girl allowed herself to get dragged out of the room by Gon, separating from the two long enough to change into her swimsuit before meeting up with them again and diving into the water. The trio worked efficiently, Mishiro using her knife and the other two using a couple of spears they found, and hacked off all the seaweed. Mishiro climbed back onto the boat before the other two had finished up the last propeller, just in time to see the others by the edge and panicking.

"We can't get him up!"

Mishiro looked around to see Hanzo and a few others shouting. She sighed and ran over to the group, diving back down once again, hearing a 'NO!' just before she went under.

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><p><em>"We've got a problem!" Hanzo shouted into the communication device, reporting to Kurapika. "Leorio hasn't come back yet!"<em>

_Kurapika backed away from the other end of the device in shock. It couldn't be true. Did something happen?_

_"He's still down there! He was wearing the only diving suit we've got. With the storm getting worse, sending a rescue down would be unwise, but I'll leave the final decision up to _you_."_

_The blond could only stare at the device where Hanzo's voice was coming through in shock, shaking in fear. Leave it up to _him_? But-…What was he supposed to do? Leorio was a friend, so they should- No, but then they could lose others and that could jeopardize everyone else as well._

_"NO!" Hanzo's voice sounded a little distant, like he wasn't facing the communicator when he shouted._

_What could have possibly happened now?_

_"Kurapika! Momo just dove into the water, probably to try to rescue Leorio! What should we do?"_

_What! Now Momo too! She was strong, but the storm was stronger. Did she even know about it? He should rescue them, right? They were friends and he didn't want to lose anymore. He was so afraid that he couldn't think._

_"Do you copy?"_

_The Kurata just stared. What was he supposed to do? What was he supposed to do? _What was he supposed to do?

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><p>Mishiro shoved the missile aside, she wasn't going to let Gon handle this one. She then pulled the man's arm around her shoulder and kicked off. The water shifter around her dangerously, causing her to slam into a sharp edge jutting out, but she didn't stop swimming. She broke the surface just before she ran out of air, taking huge gulps.<p>

"Do you copy?"

"Hey! Somebody help me with him before I decide I don't want to play nice anymore!" She shouted.

The others cheered and lifted Leorio, who was just starting to wake up, out of the water. Mishiro climbed up right after, refusing everyone's help and holding a hand over her side to hide her wound. Hanzo ran back to the device and reported that everything was fine before coming back to check on everyone.

"The propellers are clean," Gon reported.

Hanzo nodded and smiled a little. "Good job."

"What's going on?" Gon asked, until he spotted Leorio slowly getting off the floor and went to go check on him.

But Killua didn't follow, instead he turned and inspected the raven haired girl who was walking away, catching her by her wrist and pulling it away from her side. He narrowed his eyes. "You're bleeding."

It was almost funny how those two little words garnished so much attention in a matter of seconds.

But Mishiro pushed them all away. "I'll live, so shut up and get to the other jobs you were assigned."

Gon frowned. "You have to take care of your injury!"

"I'll do that where back up with Kurapika, that way I can warm up a little," Mishiro made up on the spot. But this seemed to do the trick and after being forced several times over that she would go straight up and take care of herself, the girl was finally able to escape.

She ran back to her room where she bandaged her injury and got dressed back in her regular attire before sneaking out and heading up to the captain's helm. She paused only for a moment when the ship started inching forward, before continuing, completely ignoring the sudden lurch like it didn't affect her.

Mishiro entered the cabin and gave Illumi, who was now steering the ship through the storm, a nod. She walked over to the still unconscious Kurapika and pulled his head onto her lap so that she could bandage his wound properly.

"Oh, Kurapika. What am I going to do with you?" She asked the sleeping boy quietly. She didn't notice the slight fluttering of his eyelids as he momentarily came back to consciousness before falling asleep a few seconds later.

Mishiro pulled the boy upright and leaned him against the wall once the ship hit even water and left before he could awaken.

She had interfered enough for this phase of the exam.

Now she had to prepare herself for the next phase. She had two more targets to take down on Zevil Island. And then there would only be one more.

'_Just a few more, please wait a little longer…Just a few more…_'

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><p><strong>That's it for now! I hope you liked it!<strong>

**Reviews are lovely and provide motivation~!**


	10. Chapter 10

**For those who actually care for the reason my updates are taking longer, then you can check out my profile. Most don't so I'm not going to waste space here.**

**I want to say a BIIIG THANK YOU to: ShenEna, SilverStar58, Yugao702, MCRDanime, H, and Pailrose for you lovely reviews! Thank you for taking the time! Thanks for the favs and adds as well!**

**Please enjoy!**

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><p>Chapter 10<p>

"I'm…so…bored…" Mishiro groaned. She was laying out on the deck of the airship, waiting for them to reach Zevil Island for the second to last test. "Aaaah~! Bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, _bored_! Stupid grandpa and teacher! You two lied!"

"Then why bother walking off on your own?" A voice asked sarcastically as he and three others walked over.

"Who said I walked off? You guys started walking in one direction and I walked the other," Mishiro retorted. "Therefore, _you_ walked away from me."

The four boys sweat dropped towards the girl's sense of logic.

"Aw, bleed it all to hell! Screw this! I'm jumping ship!" Mishiro declared, taking a step into the railing.

"Momo, wait!" Kurapika, Leorio, and Gon shouted. All four boys grabbed either her cloak or her arms, trying to drag her away from the edge.

"Let go of me! It'll be faster and entertaining for me to just swim there!" Mishiro argued through her teeth due to the strain (that she had to fake for the most part mind you, 'can't let your competition know all of your little tricks' as they always say).

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. That's no good Momo. I think you already know why you should remain on board," an older voice called out. "Or even I shall be forced to disqualify you."

Mishiro, along with the rest, stopped struggling. The girl turned around with her cheeks puffed up in a pout. "Grandpa is stingy, stingy, stingy."

Netero let out his Santa laugh. "And little Momo is being obstinate and self-indulgent."

The raven crossed her arms with a huff. "Well it's just so boring in between phases of the exam."

Netero laughed again. "Then why don't you join me for a while? I always have a game or two we could play."

"I'm not getting my ass handed to me ten times over," Mishiro grumbled. "Didn't you do that enough a month ago? Jeez. It's like you enjoy seeing all of us on the edge of dying of frustration."

The old man merely smiled. "So do I have your promise that you won't be jumping ship?"

"I solemnly swear," Mishiro said as sarcastically as possible, raising her hand to exaggerate even more.

Netero nodded and walked away again, humming some old song.

"Stupid old man, always popping up before I can do what I want. It's like he can read minds from across the world," Mishiro grumbled to herself.

"Or it could just be that you're just that easy to read," Killua pointed out.

Mishiro scowled, though the others couldn't see it clearly. "Don't sass me, boy." She sighed. She should have known better than to try to outsmart that old geezer. But she was just _so_ bored!

"Hey, are you really the granddaughter of the chairman?" The white haired boy asked curiously.

Momo raised an eyebrow. "Figuratively, yes. Why does it matter?"

"So _that's_ how you know everything before it happens!" Leorio accused loudly, pointing at the girl and nearly blowing everyone away with his voice.

Mishiro's hand twitched. "You should be thanking your three companions right now," she told the oldest and scruffiest teen.

"What? Why should I?" Leorio scowled.

"Because they like you and I find them companionable, therefore they are the only reason you aren't dead right now. I don't appreciate false accusations, especially loud ones. My knowledge comes from my own abilities, how else would I know that Hisoka was going to target you during the first phase of the exam?" Mishiro said irritably.

Leorio clicked his tongue and crossed his arms. "You shouldn't make empty threats like that, little girl. It makes you seem like a little kitten trying to puff up its fur to make itself seem bigger."

"Oh really?..." The raven smiled wolfishly and in a flash, she was behind the oldest teen with one of her blades pressed against his throat. "That's another false assumption on your part, Leorio-san. You should really be more careful."

Leorio didn't answer, or move for that matter. The aura that 'little girl' was emanating was making difficult for him to even breath. She smirked when a drop of sweat rolled down the side of the teen's face, and finally backed away, re-sheathing her weapon.

"So you've killed before?" Killua inquired, not bothered by the display at all.

"It should be clear to all of you by now that the majority of the people taking this exam has either killed already or are preparing themselves for that eventual outcome. Granted, most of them are nowhere near ready, which is why so many die in this exam. However, the intent is still there. Most want to be either a blacklist or a treasure hunter, which requires a lot of life taking on its own. But to answer your question…" Mishiro sighed a little. "Yes, I have. But it is only done on a need-to-be basis. Killing is such an ugly affair after all and I'm sure my charge would be upset if she found out I have had to go so far. Not to mention she would probably scold me for hours on end for breaking my promise to our friend, but I need to get her back so what can you do about it?"

"If she wouldn't like it, then why do you?" Kurapika questioned.

"Because, I'd rather have her hate me for doing everything in my power, rather than her lying six feet under." The girl shrugged. "I told you guys that I'm associated with dangerous people. Most of them wouldn't even blink when taking another's life."

"What were you even doing to get yourself involved with such dangerous people?" Leorio asked.

Mishiro sighed. "I honestly wouldn't know. Through one way or another during my training, I ended up coming into contact with those people. It would have been helpful if I didn't…well, in any case it is what it is and I can't do anything about it."

"Is that why you want to be a hunter?" Gon inquired.

The raven haired female nodded. "That would be the one and only reason I would take this exam. The moment I get her back, I'm selling my license and going into hiding."

"Why?" Gon shouted in disbelief.

Kurapika nodded in agreement. "Why go through all the effort required during the exam if you're just going to sell you license? You could easily earn yourself a living by keeping it."

"Someone with a license is more easy to track than one without." Mishiro sighed exasperatedly. "I should know. That idiot of a teacher is a pain to track down."

Gon perked up. "Are you looking for your teacher too? What's his name?"

Mishiro grimaced. "As far as I'm concerned. His name shall always be 'biggest ass ever', or any other variation of that. And I only ever had to track him down when he sent me on a mission and 'forgot' to mention that he would be continuing his travels while erasing his trail. I'm not even sure if I want to search him out after I find my charge."

The younger raven's excitement faltered a little, before coming back full blast. "Does he know a man named Ging?"

Mishiro blinked. How was she supposed to answer that? Should she be truthful and tell the boy that his father was her teacher, or perhaps she should lie and say she knew nothing about that man so that she could preserve the young boy's sense of wonder for the man…

The girl opened her mouth to try to buy her some time to figure out a way to avoid the question, when an announcement for all participants of the exam to head to the main deck so that the next portion of the exam could be explained. The group agreed (Mishiro in a less reliable fashion) that they would continue their conversation later and headed off to join the rest of the examinees.

The raven reached into the box and took out her 'prey' card number after Hisoka had chosen his, already knowing who she would be chasing. She smirked and threw the paper away. She walked away chuckling, it didn't even matter who pulled her number. It was impossible for anyone to know what number she was anyways since she had hidden her badge the moment she received it.

"Who's number did you get?"

Mishiro looked around to see Leorio walking up with Kurapika.

"Yours," the girl replied candidly.

"Wha-!" The raven male took a step backwards. "Really! Was that why you were laughing evilly?"

"I kid. I don't have any of your numbers." Mishiro glanced over their badges and pointed at them. "You should hide those, or you'll be easy pickings."

"Ah! You're right!" Leorio exclaimed, quickly storing away his card number out of sight.

The trio continued to chat idly until the group gathered once again to depart onto the island.

"Departure of the first candidate!" The announcer called out.

The group of left over examinees watched tentatively as Hisoka casually walked off the boat and into the forest of the island.

"Second candidate departure!"

Mishiro walked down the plank and paused in the middle between the forest and the boat. She turned halfway and grinned wolfishly before throwing down a smoke bomb. To the crowd back on the boat, it looked like she disappeared, but in reality Mishiro was hiding in a tree a short distance away. She had taken the badge she needed back on the boat, now she just needed to trail her true target so that she could gather the information she needed.

* * *

><p>"I'll tell you whatever you want! Just please don't kill me!" The man pleaded.<p>

"How irritating," Momo grumbled. "All of you seemed to be poorly informed. At least I have a time and date. Now if only I could find out the location. No matter."

The relatively small girl hefted the man over her shoulder easily and took off into the forest until she found the person she was looking for. She dropped down a short distance from the eerie clown man.

"Ara~! Little Momo has come to visit me? I'm so happy!" Hisoka giggled.

Mishiro suppressed a shiver and tossed down the still struggling victim. "I brought you someone to play with. He has a few tricks you can play with. It should keep your bloodlust in check for the last two days, right?"

"You're so kind~," the clown cooed. "But why don't you play with me instead?"

"I want to make sure those other four are doing alright," Mishiro replied bluntly.

Hisoka's grin widened. "Oh? You mean that unripe fruit I found?"

"Sure. I'm leaving." Mishiro stalked away quickly, ignoring the screams of the man she left behind accompanied with creepy giggles.

She traversed through the forest once more, using the signals from the tags to find Gon and the others. She arrived just in time to see the young raven boy pulling out Ponzo's tag.

"You okay?" The female asked as she dropped out of a tree next to the boy. She handed him a rag, allowing him to clean himself off a bit. She then took out her special bandages and wrapped up his more serious wounds. "Sheesh. You really need to take better care of yourself."

Gon laughed. "I'm alright! I'm just glad that it turned out okay."

Mishiro sighed and shook her head. "Well, we should start heading back to the starting point so that we can gain some distance from this girl before she wakes up. We can find a spot to camp out along the way."

"Okay!" Gon reached down and started pulling both Kurapika and Leorio onto his back.

"Hold it. I can carry one of them Gon." Mishiro started reaching over for the unconscious raven, but was handed Kurapika instead. She was about to protest, but decided against it. If Leorio woke up while she was carrying him, then he might have started groping her. "Good call."

Gon smiled and help up a victory sign.

* * *

><p>"Candidate number 60! Please come to the reception room!"<p>

"I don't want to!" Mishiro shouted back, rolling over with the intention of going back to sleep.

"Momo! You can't do that!" Gon protested and pulled the girl to her feet and pushing her towards the door.

"I'm tired," the cloaked woman groaned. "Call on me last. It's not like I don't already know what's going to happen."

"Get going. You shouldn't keep the president waiting," Kurapika scolded lightly.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Momo waved their words away with a yawn, but trooped out.

"Ho, ho, ho! I'm glad to see you didn't go back to sleep!" Netero said cheerily once Momo had seated herself.

Mishiro yawned again. "Can we get this over with? I'm getting hungry too."

The old man nodded with a chuckle. "I suppose you still don't care for the position of hunter, correct?"

The raven nodded blearily.

"Then among the remaining candidates, who do you wish to fight the most?"

Mishiro leaned over so that her elbow was resting on her knee and her head on her palm, humming a bit in thought. "I suppose I would like to fight #404, but that's just because I'd like to knock some sense into him. Then again, I'd like to knock some sense into 99, 405, and 403 as well."

Netero chuckled a little before dawning a more serious composure. "I had thought that you had a target saved for this round. Do you not wish to fight him?"

Mishiro hummed again. "Well, it won't really be a fight since it would be one sided. I'm just taking him out."

He nodded. "Then, who would you like to fight the least?"

"99, 403, 404, and 405. They're actually somewhat tolerable compared to the rest of the group. I also don't want to fight 44 or 301 as I've already had more than my share of trouble with them." Mishiro sighed in exasperation. "I don't even know how I ended up on their radar. I was trying so hard to stay out of everyone's attention."

"Very good, very good." Netero nodded.

Mishiro yawned again. "Grandpa, if you must pitch me against someone could you do it against #397. But make us the very last pair to fight please."

"Oho? You already know what I've plotted for all of you? How wonderful!"

Mishiro deadpanned. What was so wonderful about that?

Netero just continued laughing. "I'll see what I can do. You can go ahead and leave now."

The raven nodded and waved goodbye. She then walked over to an empty bench on the other side of the ship and promptly fell asleep.

Hopefully everything would go the way she wanted it with that old man for once.

* * *

><p><strong>Here comes that last phase of the exam! Hope you liked it!<strong>

**Reviews are lovely~!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Sudden inspiration led to this chapter, I was actually working on a different story, but then all the sudden I really wanted to work on this one and this chapter was typed out faster than I thought I could with only eight working fingers.**

**I want to thank Pailrose, SongWithoutWords, and Yugao720 for reviewing! It's a great motivator when I come home after school and work and don't want to do anything! ;)**

**Well, hope you enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Chapter 11<p>

"Grandpa," Mishiro growled, her eye twitching (whom no one but those that knew her well could notice). "I'm starting to reconsider my theory that you're just trying to piss me off."

She was currently standing in the line of candidates in between Kurapika and Killua, in a crouched down position (hands on her knees and head on her palms) with her cheeks puffed up in a grouchy pout.

"I said to make me laaaaaaaast~," She whined. "I don't wanna go first! I don't even want to be a hunter! This is just a temporary thing and you just said that this was based on hunter characteristics or whatever!"

Netero chuckled. "You know better than anyone why I placed you where I did. You just wanted to go last because you want to appear lazy, but we know that you were just trying to push away any temptation you have to go beyond my terms."

Mishiro scowled and turned her head away pointedly, crossing her arms and standing up stiffly.

"With that, let's begin the final round!" A referee stepped forward. "First match…Momo versus Garik!"

The candidate with the number badge #397 smirked and reached toward his back, as he got ready to attack. Mishiro, however, yawned and remained relaxed.

"Ne, ugly old guy," the raven called out. "I'll make you a deal. Since I'm not allowed to take what I need and off you, how about you tell me what I want to know and give up?"

The man, now known by the name Garik, scowled. "Big words for a little girl. I wouldn't try bluffing your way out of this like that. I won't be able to hold back enough if you make me mad."

"Oh, I'm so scared," Mishiro said with heavy sarcasm lacing her tone, crossing her arms and rolling her eyes. "Now tell me, where is the whereabouts of the little girl you helped kidnapped over three months ago."

The man glowered raising his arms a little, getting ready to attack. "You brat, you don't know who you're messing with- what the!" He looked around in confusion, his weapons missing.

Momo smirked. "Oh, are you looking for these?" She dangled a few knives in front of the man. "Surely, you must have noticed their weight missing since the beginning of that last trial?"

The man just snarled at the girl, trying to figure out when she could have possibly lifted his weapon without him noticing.

Mishiro flipped up one of the knives so that she could examine the blade, all the while keeping a close eye on her opponent. "It's not the best quality weapon you could possibly fight with, but what else could you expect from a low class thief. On the other hand, the poison lacing the blade is a cause of concern. I believe it's a slow working venom, correct? All you need is a scratch and a few hours later you'll find yourself with labored breath, then failing vision, fatigue, speech functions will fail, until you finally die. You probably planned to use this to try to scare me into submitting and then letting the poison kill me off later after you were sure you had your license." The raven haired female glared at the man. "You should have considered the fighting prowess of your opponent before thinking up such a short-sighted plan. Now I'll ask you again, where is that little girl?"

Garik sneered. "I don't know what you're talking about, and it's you who's underestimating me. I don't need my knives to fight."

"Obviously anyone in this exam can fight a little bare handed as well," Mishiro scoffed before leveling a glare at the man once again. "Do you really think you could kill me a second time?"

"A second time?" Leorio asked loudly, reminding the girl that there were spectators, though she continued to ignore them in favor of her target.

The man narrowed his eyes. "I've never seen you in my life girly."

"I don't care if you don't recall me, I want to know where that little girl is," Mishiro growled, slowly becoming impatient. "Three months and two weeks ago you ambushed two girls while they waited for their teacher to return. You killed the oldest when she fought back and kidnapped the youngest. _Where_ is she? _Where is Kimiko_?"

Something in the man's eyes changed when the information finally clicked into place and he smirked. "Ah…I remember now. They were quite a feisty pair, boss was so disappointed that we had to kill that older one, she had pretty good potential. That little one was quite loud though. She screamed so annoyingly when we took her away from her dying sister." The man snickered and raised the octave of his voice so that he could pretend to sound like a distressed little girl. "Shiro! Shiro please help me! Momo, please! Help Miko! Don't let them take Kimi! Please Shiro! Help!"

The raven lowered her head a little, the man continued to mimic the cries of distress from the small missing child. "Memory restore initiated…loading complete…Shut down begin…" Suddenly, the metal arm/leg bands, belt, and other electronic gear clicked and fell off. The wig was pulled along with the electronic headband underneath, revealing platinum blond hair.

Only the man failed to notice this transition, as he was too caught up in his mocking. However, when his nose was nearly shaved off by one of his own knives, he finally turned around to see the blank faced, yet irritated girl.

"I would shut up if I were you," Mishiro said in a bored tone. She reached down and picked up her fallen goggles, pulling them back on. She then glanced around the room as she reached into her bag and pulled on her weighted arm and leg guards, as well as the other daily weights she used to wear. "Oh? So I'm taking the hunter exam…how irritating. But I suppose it would be necessary for now. On the other hand, this means I can't just kill you."

"Who're you?" The man asked dumbly.

Mishiro tilted her head, still seemingly bored. "A ghost of your past. Hm?" The girl reached up and pulled off the swords strapped to her back. She frowned and tossed them in a similar manner to Menchi tossing the disgusting tries at sushi in the second phase of the exam. "Where are my sais?"

The group behind her sweat dropped at her childish display.

The raven seated herself upon the ground and began digging through her bag for her weapon of choice. Garik didn't take to this too kindly though, and charged, hoping to catch the girl off guard. Gon and the others cried out in shock and to warn the girl, but a split second later, the man was being plowed into the ground on his back. Not a second later, the previously tossed swords were caught by the blond and stabbed through Garik's hands, pinning him to the ground with a scream.

"Never waste a movement," Mishiro said calmly, now content with the weight of her sais on her belt once again. "And use whatever weapon you have to your advantage. You would think that someone in your sort of business would know better by now than to attack recklessly. Then again, you people are rather stupid, aren't you? Now while my memory sorts itself out, why don't you tell me the location of Kimiko. I'm growing tired of your blathering and may just take what I need forcibly if this continues for much longer."

"What's she talking about?" Gon asked, turning to Kurapika.

But the blond just shook his head. "I have no idea."

Garik grimaced in pain. "I- I don't know!"

Mishiro hummed uninterestedly. "Wrong answer." She picked up one of the man's knives and stabbed him through an arm mercilessly.

Leorio paled. "She's ruthless isn't she?"

"I don't know anything after they paid me!" The man cried out.

Mishiro tilted her head again. "Oh really?"

"Why do you care anyway! It has nothing to do with you!" The man bit back, trying to find an opening to make the girl back off.

Mishiro smirked. "You really don't remember me, do you? Well then, how about I give you a little hint…" The girl reached up, pulled down her collar, and took off her goggles once more, her back to the crowd.

The man's eyes widened in horror. "Y-you're dead. I- I killed you!"

Mishiro chuckled. "That's what should have happened, but here I am. Though, I'll always have that ugly scar on my neck to remind me never to lower my guard ever again. But don't get me wrong, I'm not here for revenge. I merely want my sister. You should have realized that I was after you once all you comrades failed to make it past each exam. You actually wouldn't even be here right now if I hadn't planned it so. You are my last target as well as my ticket to a hunter's license. You were never actually capable of making it this far. You're merely here because I chose you and gave you passage to this point. Now if you don't tell me what I need to know, then I shall start breaking each and every little done in your body until you do."

Garik shuddered in fear, but clenched his mouth shut.

"Oh? So you're not going to tell me. Well, then why don't we try this instead?" Momo reached into her pack once more and pulled out a skull head with pink jewels stuck in the eyes and a curved blade coming out of the bottom. "I think you should know what this is, it was one of the reasons you killed me after all. But for the sake of the other people present who don't know, I suppose I should enlighten them. This weapon is called the 'Skull Claw' and is part of the set of five 'Cursed Skull Weapons'. What's most interesting about these weapons is that the curse is supposed to inflict certain levels of nonstop pain upon the victim, and it won't stop until you are wounded by all five weapons. However, the pain is supposed to multiply by hundreds with each strike, so much so that most die before they can even receive the fourth wound. On the other hand, it's highly believed that anyone who could survive all five acratches will be able to gain immunity to all poisons as well as a higher pain tolerance. Why don't we test that myth out, ne?"

The raven's opponent shuddered again, knowing that the girl wasn't joking. He grimaced and closed his eyes. "She's going to be moved along with the others to a port somewhere, but they changed the town and haven't told me the next location."

Mishiro nodded. "Thank you for your cooperation." She pulled out her swords, cleaning and stowing them away properly before turning back to the man. "I trust you have an antidote to that poison, so please give up this match."

Abruptly, the man sprang up and pulled out the knife in his arm, while going in to strike. "I may have told you what I know, but I'm far from defeated!"

Mishiro sighed through her nose and leaned to the side, dodging easily before bending down and jabbing a few select points, causing the male to collapse in pain and paralysis. "Last time you attacked me, you had the advantage of holding my sister hostage. However, I think you should have noticed that I'm far stronger than you and have only trained further since then. In fact, all except two of the candidates here are more than easy for someone like me to take down. Granted, that will be changing in a few months' time, but as of right now that statement holds true. Now please surrender."

Garik panted, trying to force himself to his feet, but froze when he found the tip of another blade pressing against his neck.

"Perhaps I was not clear, you will be forfeiting this match willingly or not." Mishiro stared down expressionlessly, preparing to call upon her nen.

"….Dammit…I surrender."

The girl raised an eyebrow, but backed away. "Thank you…Since I'm in a rather good mood, I'll tell you something about your near future. It doesn't matter whether or not you manage to get your hunter's license. Your boss was going to kill you either way. He would just be gaining your license if you passed."

Mishiro turned away from the stunned man and began walking away, however she stumbled a bit before reaching the other side. She pressed a hand to her head and grimaced. '_The side effects of that machine is starting to kick in._' She looked up when she felt hands helping hold her steady.

"Are you okay?" Gon asked in concern, Kurapika and Leorio close by.

The girl stared blankly. "I'll be fine. It's just the side effects of having 14 years of memories stuffed back into my brain in a few seconds. My memories just need time to settle, and then they'll stop messing with the rest of my functions."

"Even so…" Kurapika trailed off.

Mishiro rolled her eyes and brushed their hands away, walking over to the wall and sliding down still she was sitting, using the wall as support.

"You should rest properly," Netero scolded, coming up to the girl.

"I want to watch the rest of the matches," Momo said calmly. "Kimi would have wanted to see this, so I'll watch in her stead."

The old man nodded in understanding and returned to his previous position.

Mishiro blinked when her gaze was obstructed by a shroud of brown and pulled down the cloak that had been tossed over her. She glanced up to see Killua leaning next to the wall beside her. "Thank you."

The white haired boy nodded and smirked a little. "You sure are one crazy person."

The blond cocked an eyebrow. "What makes you say that?"

"Those scratches on your left leg," the boy nodded to said limb, "you were cut by all five of those cursed weapons right? I saw them when we were at that resort, but didn't think much about it until now. So are the rumors true?"

Mishiro smirked. "How can that possibly be so if all the people cut by the weapons have died?"

The albino's smirk widened. "I already gained immunity to poisons and pain a while ago anyways, so I won't bother with that method. I guess I can ask more about your eyes later though."

Momo turned back to the boy in question.

"I saw your reflection through the door handle over there." Killua turned back to watch Gon's match with a slight frown.

The blond turned back as well. "You could try, but there's no guarantee that I'll actually tell you the truth."

The young boy nodded in acknowledgment. "I suppose I'll have to wait and see then."

"I suppose you will."

* * *

><p><strong>So now you know what happened to Kimiko. But there is still more to come!<strong>

**Reviews are lovely~!**


	12. Chapter 12

**THANK YOU to: PrincessWindNight and Anybody for reviewing! It means a lot and keeps me going!**

**I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

><p>Chapter 12<p>

Guilt.

Guilt was reason she was still here and not out searching for her sister. Guilt was why she was actually considering helping the others retrieve their friend.

But guilt was _not_ going to make her wallow like a pathetic fool who doesn't know how to solve their own problems and relies on other to do the job!

Bam! _Bam-Bam-Bam-Bam-__Bam__!_

"M-Momo, what's wrong!" Kurapika stuttered in surprise.

"Do you find my lecture that boring?" Netero asked mischievously, even though he knew that wasn't the reason.

"Yes." Mishiro replied bluntly. "But that's not why I felt the need to smash my head against this desk. You lecture me all the time anyways, so I'm used to it."

The moment the matches ended, Mishiro went into a bathroom and put in colored contacts so that she wouldn't have to wear her goggles all the time, though she still had them with her. They were now just resting around her neck until she needed them again.

She folded her arms and used them as a pillow, sighing a little. "Tch. This is all so annoying."

She looked up again when she felt Gon approaching and watched the boy intensely the moment he entered the room. She tuned out all words, just focusing on the energy and movements of Gon and Illumi. The moment the older raven moved his free hand and Gon backed away, Mishiro appeared by in front of the younger boy.

She narrowed her eyes at the Zoldyck. "Don't _make_ me your enemy Illumi."

Was she scared? Absolutely terrified, but she wasn't going to move. She remained ready to strike even when the pink blob continued with his lecture.

"Gittarackur!" Gon called out the moment the little man finished. "Tell me where Killua is."

"You'd better renounce," the older boy instructed.

"You think I'm that kind of guy!" Gon defied, sticking out his tongue. "Killua is my friend! Whatever the cost, I'll find him!"

Illumi's eyes trailed from Gon to you, then finally the other two that had come up behind you. "What about the two behind you? They have the same opinion?"

"I think it's obvious," Leorio said confidently.

Mishiro's attention diverted when she caught movement off to the side, noticing that Hisoka was motioning for her to follow. As much as she hated to follow the guy, she knew that he may have something that was actually important for her to know. So she trailed after the fellow, making sure she did in a way that Gon and the other two wouldn't notice.

"What?" She asked somewhat coldly. Momo really wasn't in the mood to play his games.

The clown like man smiled. "There's a rumor that a rather large human trafficking group will be hitting up the harbor that's the most favored and popular for Napaj imports and exports in a month's time."

Mishiro blinked. This…was very useful.

"Really now." She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "What's the catch?"

Hisoka giggled. "I hear Shalnark will be around that area as well."

The blond paled. Not good. A spider hanging around the same area she needed to be could end disastrously if she were to be sighted.

"Well, that's all for now. Ta-ta~!" Hisoka waved goodbye with an entertained smile in place, leaving the other girl behind to ponder what course of action she should take.

"GAH! Why is everything so complicated!" She growled out, rubbing her hands through her hair furiously.

"Hey! Momo!" Gon shouted, running up to the girl. "Do you know where Kukuru mountain is?"

Mishiro blinked, then groaned. "Why? Why, why, why, why, _why_?" She walked over to a wall and started hitting her head against it.

"What's up with her?" Leorio muttered.

Mishiro sighed and folded her arms, placing a hand over her chin in thought. Her thought process was saved by the arrival of Hanzo and Pokkle coming to say goodbye, not even bothering to look up even when they handed over their contact cards. She was deep in thought that she didn't even notice the three boys dragging her off to look up Killua's most likely location.

She finally came two when she heard a shout and turned her head to see the three gazing at a computer monitor, checking for flights to get to the Republic of Padokia, meaning they had already looked up Gin. "Why didn't you guys just ask me where that mountain was? I could have told you how to get there."

"We did ask!" Leorio shouted.

"Well apparently not or I would have told you," Momo told the boy blandly. She actually remembered them asking, but it was more entertaining to push the limits of Leorio's blood pressure.

But, unfortunately, before the raven could blow his top, Kurapika stepped in. "Are you going to come with us?"

Mishiro wanted to say no. They could take care of this on her own and she'd rather avoid going to that place unless she absolutely had to, or if grandpa forced her. She wanted to…but guilt was welling up within her again. She sighed heavily. "My conscience will kill me if I don't."

"Conscience?" The blond male questioned.

The girl sighed again. "It's difficult being able to know so much. I could make changes, but how would that affect the future? Any changes that I do make, makes it impossible for me to know what would happen instead of what originally was going to take place. So do I make the change, or do I let things continue as they were supposed to if I wasn't here? 'Tis a burden, this memory of mine."

The boys just stared, unsure of what to say to that.

Mishiro sighed again and gazed at the boys. "Don't think too much about it. I'll come along to see things through. I owe Killua that much."

* * *

><p>"You guys owe me <em>so<em> much for doing this!" Mishiro hissed as the bus pulled to a stop in front of the Door of Verification.

"This is the main entrance. We also call it the door to the other world," the stuck-up, over beautified, prick of a tour guide (at least in Mishiro's opinion) explained. "The reason is simple: once you pass through, you never return."

'_Door to Hades indeed._' Mishiro thought dreadfully to herself. '_However, I'm living proof that, that statement is incorrect._'

"To enter, we use the little door on the side, and we see the guardian." The tour guide held out her manicured hand to indicate the small set of double doors. "From this point it's the private domain of the Zoldyck's, so we can't visit."

"What!" Leorio shouted in outrage.

While Leorio argued with the tour guide, Mishiro stared up at the giant doors with a sense of dread.

"Is something wrong?" Kurapika asked, coming up to stand with the girl.

'_If you don't consider trying to enter the den of a lion as dangerous, then no, everything's peachy,_' Mishiro thought sarcastically. She sighed. "No. I'm just trying to think of all the possible scenarios that can take place. I don't want anything to happen that shouldn't."

The girl walked off before the other could reply so that she could check on Zebulo, who had just been tossed aside. She quietly requested that the old man kept the fact that they knew each other quiet. She then helped the other to his feet and followed when he took the four of them over to his 'guard stand'. She remained quiet the whole duration of the conversation, anticipating the turn of events and hoping that no one noticed her. She was traumatized enough from all the dinner invites as it was.

She remained silent all the way up until all three boys fell over when they tried to walk in the slippers given to them, while she walked on like normal. She quirked an eyebrow at Leorio. "Walk much?"

Leorio growled in frustration. "You must have gotten normal slippers! You cheated!"

Her eyebrow traveled farther up. "You think so? How about I drop it on your head to test it?"

Zebulo chuckled. "Those are actually 50 kilograms. Would all of you like some tea?"

Mishiro followed after the man while the other three returned to an upright position. She decided to 'train' along with the other three, just so that she could keep her cover, but the weights weren't anything new. Gin had put her through a _lot_ worse.

* * *

><p>Before she knew it, two weeks had passed and Leorio had successfully opened the first door on his own. And in another flash of time she found herself slowly falling into a panic as the other two could open the door and Leorio could open two.<p>

'_I'm not scared. Nope! Not at all!_' Mishiro told herself, pushing the denial card in an attempt to get rid of her soon to be overbearing panic. She had her cloak and goggles on, and had even pulled up her turtle neck to cover the lower half of her face. She did _not_ want to be recognized if at all possible. '_Thisisbad, thisisbad, this is very VERY __**BAD**_!'

The gate of doom, as Mishiro had dubbed it. She and Canary made eye contact for a split second before blond girl placed a finger to her mouth, indicating that she wanted the other to remain silent. However, that was when everything became rather difficult for the two girls. Canary had to follow her orders and Mishiro couldn't get in the way of a determined Gon.

'_Maybe I really should just use my minimum status at this point,_' Mishiro considered in guilt and worry. Gon was turning into a horrible mess. On the other hand, Momo knew that even if she revealed that bit of information, Gon would still be determined to go through his own route. She turned her gaze away, unable to stomach to emotions and sight before her.

It was only when she heard the short stone pillar crumble from Gon's frustrated punch, that she looked up.

Canary jerked a little when she heard a curious hum from the raven haired boy. "Uh…"

"My foot crossed the line…" Gon pointed out without looking up. "You didn't hit me?"

"Uh…" The young servant girl blinked, realizing her lapse in attention and tightened her grip on her staff, trying to make herself follow her orders while fighting her inner desire to aid the young master she wished to befriend. But the steady gaze the younger raven haired boy's only opened eye, as the other was swollen shut, was so powerful and moving, so determined that the girl found herself at a loss. She couldn't bring herself to hurt the boy any further.

Gon finally straightened completely. "You're not like mike."

The girl's eyes widened in surprise. No one had ever talked to her like a real person before. Not since…

"You can do whatever you want to hide your feelings…but you still have a heart," Gon continued. "When I pronounced Killua's name, for a fraction of a second…your eyes gave the impression of gentleness."

Killua…or her masters…Killua and his friends…or her masters…

Who was she kidding. She _wanted_ them to save Killua. She was on their side the entire time.

"Please…" Tears started to stream down Canary's pained features. "Save Killua-san!"

_PAN_!

A small projectile slammed into the girl's head and knocked her to the side.

"Really. What could this employee have told you?"

The three boys snapped out of their shock from the sudden attack to turn toward the speaker, a woman in a super frilly Victorian style dress, bandages, and an electronic visor with a small…girl(?) beside her. Conversely, Mishiro reached up and tugged the hood of her cloak farther down in the hopes to remain unrecognized.

"It makes it seem like we really do handle Killua roughly. You know, it's not very polite to come here and behave childishly." The red dot of the visor swiveled around to focus on the youngest member. "You are Gon, aren't you? I heard about you from Illumi. We told Killua that you entered the domain about three weeks ago. I'm going to repeat to you word by word what Killua requested me to tell you. 'It's a real pleasure that you came…But…Right now I can't meet you…Sorry. I've waited to present myself. I'm Killua's mother and his name is Kalluto."

Gon stared for a bit before turning around to check with Kurapika and Leorio to make sure Canary was alright. Mishiro could only twitch a little at their complacency to show their backs to a dangerous opponent.

"And how are you doing, Mishiro my dear?" Kikyo asked, turning her attention to the only female of the group. "You should have just come up, I would have had some tea prepared."

Mishiro only just barely kept a grimace from crossing her face. She knew she was hoping too much, but how she wished she went unnoticed. Not to mention, the others were definitely going to interrogate her later about this. "My apologies ma'am, but I'm on assignment to make sure these three return unharmed."

"Is that so? How sad, and you seldom come to visit us too. Have you taken into account our offer to train your abilities? We rarely find someone with such potential, it would be a waste to let it pass."

"Ah, yes. "Mishiro's stomach churned in memory of their request. She could only just imagine what these people would undoubtedly put her through if she agreed. She might not be the most unemotional of the bunch, but that didn't mean she wanted to kill off the rest of her sometimes snarky attitude. "As I said before, your offer is most kind, but I don't think I could burden your family with such a task and I don't know where such training could come to use as I am now."

The woman hummed in disappointment. "Perhaps next time then. We should really start as soon as possible, but we can wait a little bit longer."

This time Mishiro really did grimace. This was the third time she had declined and told that they would wait for her to change her mind. It was extremely disturbing. There was also the matter that she could only politely decline so many times before she would inevitably reach her boiling point.

She was saved as Gon finally returned his attention to the two newcomers once Leorio had confirmed that the girl would be alright. "Why can't Killua see us?"

"Because he's in an isolation room," the Zoldyck matron explained. "Killua hit me and his brother, an then ran away. But he regrets his actions and has come back on his own volition. He imposed the isolation upon himself. Consequently, when will he decide to go out…?" The woman stiffened for a moment as a message came through on her device. "But! Father, why are you disturbing me?...No, you shouldn't untie him!...No, really!...What does that mean!...? I have an important matter to settle," the woman informed the group suddenly, turning to leave. "Good bye. Come back when you want."

"One moment please," Gon spoke up again, halting the woman. "We'll stay in the surroundings for about ten days. Could you please tell Killua that?"

The visual device focused on the boy one last time. "Alright, I'll tell him. Good bye…"

The woman hurried away back into the darkness of the forest, leaving only Kalluto behind who glared at the three boys. He left soon after when Kikyo called out for him, finally leaving just the ragtag four to their own devices.

"Momo," Kurapika said sternly, crossing his arms. His tone sent a shiver up the girl's back. "Do you have anything you would like to tell us?"

Mishiro looked around warily. "It would be better to wait until we have left the compound."

The three boys gave the girl a suspicious look, but eventually gave their consent to move on. The blond female sighed in relief, watching as Canary stood up and directed the boy's toward the attendants quarters. Mishiro gave one last glance toward the location the two Zoldycks had vanished before following the others once more, all the while reconsidering her choice of tagging along. They didn't need her, and her presence wasn't making a difference. All she was to the three boys was dead weight.

'_I should have gone straight to Kimiko after all…_'

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><p><strong>Reviews = Food for Thought! ;)<strong>


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